'Hast  thou  named  all  the  birds  without  a  gun; 

Loved  the  wood-rose  and  left  it  on  its  stalk; 

Unarmed  faced  danger  with  a  heart  of  trust ; 

And  loved  so  well  a  high  behavior  in  man  or  maid, 

That  thou  from  speech  refrained, 

Nobility  more  nobly  to  repay?— 

O  be  my  friend  and  teach  me  to  be  thine!' — EMERSON. 


POPULAR   STUDIES    OF    CALIFORNIA 
WILD  FLOWERS- 

by 

BERTHA  M.  RICE  and  ROLAND  RICE 

i  / 

Directors  of 

The  Annual  State  Wild  Flower  Exhibit. 

Founders  and  Directors  of 
The  Outing  Farm 

A  Summer  Camp  for  City  Children. 

The  special  hand-colored  edition  is  limited  to  700  copies. 

The  excellent  water-coloring  is  the  work  of 

Myrtle  Hill  McQuarrie. 


(Illustrations  are  from  Photographs) 


UPTON  BROS.  &  DELZELLE 

PUBLISHERS 
SAN  FRANCISCO,   CAL. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

These  flower  stories  originally  appeared,  the  greater  number  of 
them,  in  the  Oakland  Tribune.  They  were  written  by  request  of 
the  Sunday  editor  for  the  magazine  section  of  that  paper.  The  arti- 
cles have  been  carefully  revised  and  many  items  of  interest  added 
thereto.  As  to  my  son's  share  in  this  labor  of  love,  I  wish  to  say 
that  the  stories  appearing  in  this  volume  under  his  name  were  origin- 
ally prepared  by  him,  but  were  included  in  the  group  first  published 
in  the  Tribune  under  my  name.  In  the  midst  of  activities  connected 
with  a  summer  camp  for  city  children,  with  many  groups  of  boys  or 
girls  and  their  various  leaders  coming  and  going,  I  found  it  difficult 
to  devote  the  necessary  time  entailed  in  the  preparation  of  such 
subjects.  I  could  hardly  have  finished  the  task  without  Roland's 
loyal  assistance  and  sympathetic  support. 

I  wish  to  thank  the  kind  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  State  who 
have  encouraged  us  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume.  We  are 
especially  indebted  to  Mrs.  Roxana  Ferris,  of  the  Dudley  Herbarium 
at  Stanford  University,  and  to  Dr.  LeRoy  Abrams,  also  of  Stanford 
University,  the  most  able  of  botanists,  for  valuable  assistance  in  the 
identification  of  difficult  species  and  in  the  scientific  nomenclature  of 
the  same. 


.... 


COPYRIGHT  1920 
By    BERTHA    M.   RICE 


Inscribed 

To  those  high  hills 
Of  happiness  and  peace 
Where  unnumbered 
City  children 
Have  enjoyed 
"Vacation  days." 


430494 


Washington  Lilies  Growing  in  Pine  Woods,  Yosemite 


It  was  in  His  sermon  on  the  Mount,  that  Jesus  said :  "Consider 
the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they 
spin ;  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these." 


White  Mountain  Lilies 

By  Bertha  Marguerite  Rice 


White  lilies  growing  on  the  mountain  side, 

In  your  loved  forms  I  see 
A  sacred  symbol  of  the  Christ  who  died, 

The  Christ  who  lives  for  me. 

0  tall,  straight  mountain  lilies,  sweet  and  fair. 

Your  incense  waft  above. 
Your  tender  greetings  softly  heavenivard  bear 

To  the  dear  Christ  I  love. 

0  Lilies!  fair  and  pure  and  sweet  and  white, 
Thoughts  of  the  Crucified, 

1  read  a  message  in  your  souls  of  light, 

His  love,  who  for  me  died. 

Within  your  hearts  no  stain  of  earth  doth  hide, 
Though  from  the  earth  you  spring, 

Then  let  not  earth's  taint  in  my  soul  abide, 
Though  still  to  earth  I  cling. 

0  radiant  lilies!  blooming  for  the  Christ,  • 

Type  of  His  purity; 
O  fragrant  lilies!  incense  offering  souls, 

Waft  prayerful  thoughts  for  me. 


Oh,  may  my  heart  from  selfish  aims  be  free, 

Filled  with  His  love  divine, 
To  feel,  to  know,  to  have  His  purity, 

Christ's  cause  on  earth  be  mine! 


Prefatory  Comment 

As  to  my  own  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  flowers,  I  desire  to  state 
that  not  through  the  study  of  botany  or  the  love  of  science  have  I 
taken  up  this  work,  but  because  of  a  sincere  and  abiding  affection 
for  these  divine  messengers.  The  flowers  of  God's  planting,  grow- 
ing in  His  natural  gardens,  represent  the  fullness  and  perfection  of 
His  love.  Born  and  raised  on  an  Iowa  farm,  I  early  learned  where 
and  when  the  wild  flowers  grew  and  blossomed.  During  my  entire 
life  it  has  been  my  happy  privilege  to  be  closely  associated  with  the 
out-door  world.  As  the  director  of  "Wild  Flower  Day"  at  the 
Panama-Pacific  International  Exposition,  I  formed  an  extensive 
acquaintance  with  flower  enthusiasts.  Together  we  have  endeavored 
to  interest  people  in  the  unparalleled  beauty  and  charm  of  our  native 
flowers,  and  in  the  importance  of  conserving  them  as  valuable  assets 
of  civilized  communities.  Much  interest  has  since  been  awakened 
by  means  of  the  annual  State  exhibit;  all  specimens  sent  in  were 
carefully  gathered  by  experts  in  the  various  localities,  and  were 
classified  by  scientists. 

During  the  past  several  years  my  son  has  carried  out  a  policy 
of  nature  study,  in  connection  with  the  groups  of  children  who  have 
been  our  happy  and  welcome  guests,  and  whose  opportunities  for 
observation  of  the  wonders  of  hills  and  woodlands  have  previously, 
of  necessity,  been  somewhat  limited.  The  work  of  these  field  study 
clubs  has  been  conducted  not  only  during  the  summer  vacation 
period,  but  also  at  other  seasons  of  the  year,  through  various  trips 
to  the  country  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Bay  Regions.  Many  chil- 
dren have  in  this  manner  formed  an  inspiring  acquaintance  with 
flowers  and  trees  through  contact  with  the  life  out  of  doors. 

The  flower  stories  in  this  book  have  been  the  natural  outgrowth 
of  a  keen  interest  and  delight  in  such  subjects,  but  the  publishing  of 
the  same,  in  their  present  form,  has  necessarily  entailed  careful  study 
and  considerable  research  through  historical  references  and  old 
legends  and  folk-lore,  in  which  the  ancients  delighted,  and  which 
have  given  rise  to  many  of  the  popular  appellations  now  applied  to 
flowers.  The  mysteries  of  flower  lore  have  a  distinct  appeal. 

It  would  require  many  volumes  to  relate  even  a  few  of  the 
interesting  facts  and  fancies  regarding  the  thousands  of  different 
species  of  native  plants  belonging  to  this  State.  We  can  only  hope 
to  introduce  the  reader  to  various  phases  of  popular  interest  regard- 
ing a  fascinating  and  inexhaustible  subject. 

B.M.R. 


"There  is  a  lesson  in  each  flower, 
A  story  for  each  stream  and  bower; 
In  every  herb  on  which  you  tread, 
Are  written  words,  which  rightly  read 
Will  lead  you  from  earth's  fragrant  sod, 
To  hope,  and  holiness,  and  God." 

— ALLAN  CUNNINGHAM. 


Contents 

LIST   OF  STORIES   AND   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

Frontispiece,  Washington  Lilies  growing  in  Pine  Woods 6 

Poem,  "White  Mountain  Lilies,"  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 7 

Prefatory  Comment 8 

Contents    9 

Wild  Lilac  (Ceanothus),  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 12 

Lupines,  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 16 

Golden  Poppy,  State  Flower 20 

Mariposa   Lily    ( Calochortus) 26 

Manzanita    (Arctostaphylos)    32 

Snow   Plant   (S  arc  odes  sanguined) 37 

Baby  Blue   Eyes    (Nemophila) 41 

Yellow  Dandelion  (Composite  Family) 46 

Iris,  by  Roland  Rice 52 

Violets,  Johnny- Jump-Up,  and  Others,  by  Roland  Rice 55 

Thistles    , 60 

Cactus    64 

Azalea,  Western    (.Rhododendron  occidental) 68 

Rose  Bay  (Rhododendron  calif ornicum) 71 

Blazing  Star  (Mentzelia),  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 74 

Clematis  (Ranunculaceae),  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 77 

Bleeding  Heart  (Dicentra  formosa),  by  Roland  Rice 801 

Matilija  Poppy  (Romneya  coulteri),  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 83 

Shooting  Stars    (Dodocatheon) 8G 

Miner's  Lettuce    (Purslane  Family) 88 

Gum  Plant  ( Grindelia),  by  Roland  Rice 90 

Floral  Fire-Crackers  (Brevoortia  ida  mai),  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 92 

Wild  Ginger  (Asarum  caudatum),  by  Roland  Rice 94 

False  Solomon's  Seal  (Smilacina  amplexicaulis) 96 

Little  Alpine  or  Small  Leopard  Lily 98 

Clarkia,  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 100 

Pitcher  Sage,  Sphacele  calycina  (Mint  Family) 103 

Creamcups  (Piatystemon  calif  ornicus),  by  Roland  Rice 106 

Cone  Flower  (Rudbeckia  calif ornica),  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 108 

Elephant  Heads  (Pedicularis  groenlandica) ,  by  Roland  Rice 110 

Washington  Lily  (Lilium  washingtonianum) ,  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 114 

Toyon  or  Christmas  Berry,  by  Bertha  M.  Rice 117 

Urgent  Need  of  Protection  for  Toyon,  by  Bertha  M.  Rice .  119 


"From  mountains  far  and  valleys  near 

The  harvests  sown  today 
Thrive  in  all  zueathers  zvithout  fear, — 
Wild  planters,  plant  away!" 

— EMERSON. 


Hymn  to  the  Flowers 


'Neath  cloistered  boughs,  each  floral  bell  that  sivingeth 

And  tolls  its  perfume  on  the  air, 
Makes  Sabbath  in  the  fields,  and  ever  ringeth 

A  call  to  prayer. 

"Your  voiceless  lips,  O  Flowers,  are  living  preachers, 

Each  cup  a  pulpit,  and  each  leaf  a  book, 
Supplying  to  my  fancy  numerous  teachers 
From  loneliest  nook. 

"Were  I,  O  God,  in  churchless  lands  remaining, 

Far  from  all  voice  of  teachers  or  divines, 
My  soul  would  find,  in  Flowers  of  Thy  ordaining, 
Priests,  sermons,  shrines!" 

— HORACE  SMITH. 


12 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flozvers 


The  Ceanothus 


My  hills  are  Poets;  all  the  year 
They  sing  to  me  their  lays  sublime; 

They  sing  you  songs  with  voices  clear 
And  sweetest  sing  in  April  time. 

Then  they  their  purple  robes  put  on, 
Robes  spun  in  April's  Lilac  looms, 

Their  royal  flowered  robes  they  don, 
For  then  the  Ceanothus  blooms! 

Oh!  Kingly  Poets  are  my  hills; 

But  kingliest  in  April  time, 
For  then  each  green  breast  gladdest 
thrills 

And  pulses  with  most  royal  rhyme. 


These  are  the  days,  the  singers'  days, 
When  my  King-Poets  send  aloft 

Their  highest,  purest  songs  of  praise, 
Strains  of  the  Ceanothus  soft. 

Faint,  faint  at  -first,  then  deeper  toned, 
Till  all  the  banks  are  gowned  and  capcd, 

And  my  hill  monarchs,  high  enthroned, 
Are  in  the  Ceanothus  draped. 

Stay,   Spring,  still   let   my   monarchs 

wear 
Their  robes  and  sing  their  songs 

sublime. 

Let  it  be  April  all  the  year, 
And  always  Ceanothus  time. 

— BAILEY  MILI.ARD. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 13 

Ceanothus.     Wild  Lilac 

(Buckthorn  Family] 
By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

If  you  have  never  seen  California  hills  in  springtime,  abloom 
with  Wild  Lilac  in  all  its  softened  blues,  exquisite  lavenders  or  deli- 
cate white  shades,  you  have  missed,  scenes  that  rival  in  loveliness 
the  famed  cherry  festivals  of  Japan.  /If  you  cannot  be  here  to  enjoy 
the  poet's  ''Ceanothus  Time,"  call  on  some  of  the  best  art  dealers 
and  bid  them  show  you  pictures  of  California's  bloom-clothed  hill- 
sides. Sights  such  as  these  have  inspired  the  best  in  art  from  paint- 
ers of  the  West  as  well  as  of  those  from  other  lands  who  frequently 
make  the  journey  to  these  shores  just  to  catch  a  bit  of  this  tender 
glory. 

Ceanothus  is  one  of  our  justly  celebrated  wild  flowers.  The 
individual  flowers,  though  small,  form  dense  showy  panicles  of 
bloom,  and  in  the  spring  it  covers  the  hills  for  miles  with  a  radiance 
that  seems  almost  too  delicate  for  earth-born  loveliness.  There  are 
many  varieties  of  the  plant  generously  distributed  about  the  State, 
from  the  pretty  creeping  Ceanothus  growing  on  the  sea's  edge  to 
that  of  the  tangled  chaparral  thickets  clothing'  innumerable  hillsides. 
It  scatters  its  fragrant  blooms  through  the  stately  redwood  forests 
of  the  Coast  Range  and  trails  its  decorative  "Squaw  Carpets"  under 
the  yellow  pines  of  the  high  Sierras.  A  variety  known  to  botanists 
as  C.  cordulatus  Kellogg,  bordering  higher  altitudes,  is  popularly 
called  "Snow  Bush" ;  for  when  in  full  bloom  it  resembles  fields  of 
newly  fallen  snow.  During  several  months  of  the  year  these  "Snow 
Bushes"  are  obliged  to  carry  heavy  burdens  of  real  snow  that  have 
shaped  and  given  them  their  flat-topped  and  compact  form,  which 
provide  such  excellent  shelter  for  the  birds.  It  may  be  that  this  is 
one  of  the  reasons  they  are  called  Snow  Bushes.  ,  The  name  is 
singularly  appropriate.  They  seem  wonderful  plants,  to  me,  and 
add  greatly  to  the  interest  and  charm  of  those  high  mountains.  We 
have  found  them  drifting  their  snowy  blooms  at  an  altitude  of  more 
than  9,000  feet. 

The  popularity,  of  Ceanothus  is  partly  due,  perhaps,  to  its 
adaptability  to  various  soils  and  climates ;  for  while  indigenous  to 
the  Pacific  Coast,  it  can  be  grown  almost  anywhere.  It  has  long' 
been  cultivated  in  European  gardens  and  is  much  admired  there  for 
its  innumerable  clusters  of  lovely,  fragrant  flowers,  called  "California 
Blue  Blossoms." 

Ceanothus  has  an  interesting  little  cousin  in  the  Eastern  States, 
known  to  botanists  as  C.  americanus  L.,  but  famed  as  "New  Jersey 
Tea."  It  provided  a  welcome  beverage,  in  Revolutionary  days, 
when  people  'would  not  or  could  not  afford  to  buy  the  English  teas 
because  of  exorbitant  and  unjust  taxation.  This  variety  is  some- 
times called  "Red-root" ;  it  furnished  an  excellent  dye,  another  com- 
modity highly  prized  by  those  thrifty  colonists. 

But  our  Ceanothus  is  a  shrub  of  many  parts,  as  are  so  many 
of  our  native  growing  things.  It  is  one  of  the  good  shrubs  that 


14 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Fevers 

help  to  make  up  our  chaparral  belt.  It  does  well  as  a  water  cover 
on  dry,  stony  hillsides  to  prevent  erosion.  It  furnishes  the  only 
browse  for  stock  in  some  parts  of  the  mountains.  Cattle  and  sheep 
seem  to  do  well  with  certain  varieties  for  food.  To  the  hunters 
the  bushes  are  known  as  buck  brush  or  deer  brush.  Deer  lie  in 
hiding  in  its  dense  thickets  and  feed  upon  it  also.  Indians  and 
mountaineers  make  a  tea  from  the  roots  and  bruised  foliage  of  the 
species  known  as  "Squaw  Carpets"  or  "Mahala  Mats"  (C.  prostratus 
Benth.),  which  they  take  for  kidney  trouble  and  blood  disorders. 
This  variety  has  handsome  holly-like  leaves.  Its  low-trailing 
branches  starred  with  feathery  purplish  blossoms  cover  miles  of 
mountainside,  forming  veritable  carpets  of  soft,  springy  texture 
under  the  pine  trees.  Children  are  especially  fond  of  its  odd  and 
highly  decorative  scarlet  seed  vessels.  One  of  our  finest  varieties 
(C.  integerimus)  is  sometimes  called  the  "White  Tea  Tree."  But 
the  beverage  concocted  from  the  bark  of  its  roots  is  used  only  for 
medicinal  purposes,  valued  as  a  remedy  for  malaria  and  catarrhal 
as  well  as  for  kidney  trouble.  This  variety  is  widely  distributed 
and  is  quite  variable  in  appearance.  Its  blossoms  are  sometimes 
white  and  sometimes  blue.  "Soap-Bush"  was  the  term  applied  to 
these  plants  by  the  Mexicans  in  early  days.  Its  blossoms  really 
make  a  delightful  lather,  very  fragrant  and  cleansing  in  quality.  By 
merely  crushing  the  blooms  as  they  are  rubbed  on  the  hands  in  the 
brook,  they  leave  the  skin  clean  and  fragrant  and  with  a  velvety 
softness.  There  are  several  varieties  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State,  the  blossoms  of  which  are  particularly  rich  in  saponaceous 
qualities.  But  the  blossoms  of  practically  all  varieties  furnish  an 
excellent  substitute  for  soap.  Its  seed  vessels  when  green  have  the 
same  quality. 

A  delicately  beautiful  variety  of  the  creeping  Ceanothus,  not 
common  outside  of  the  Yosemite  and  very  abundant  there  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  pine  belt,  forms  a  magnificent  sight  in  the  spring, 
when  its  loose,  leafy  mats  are  thickly  sprinkled  with  pretty  blue 
blossoms.  Surely  the  Wood  Nymphs  and  Brownies  have  wonderful 
carpets !  This  variety  is  known  to  botanists  as  C.  diver  sifolious 
Kellogg,  and  is  somewhat  similar  in  appearance  to  C.  prostratus 
Benth. 

Ceanothus  is  at  its  best  in  Mendocino  County,  where  it  grows 
in  dense  tangles,  and  is  almost  a  tree,  sometimes  attaining  a  height 
of  thirty-five  feet  or  more.  Several  varieties  bloom  in  this  county 
in  many  shades  of  lavender  and  blue,  paling  to  white.  From  Men- 
docino County,  also,  there  has  been  sent  to  me,  for  the  State  Exhibit, 
a  variety,  the  most  exquisite  pink  in  color,  which  may  be  one  of  the 
hybridized  forms.  A  singular  greenish  blossom  (C.  adolphia  cali- 
fornica)  was  sent  from  San  Diego  County. 

There  are  innumerable  and  lovely  species  of  this  interesting 
shrub.  Dr.  LeRoy  Abrams  in  his  Flor'a  of  Los  Angeles  and  Vicinity 
names  many  varieties  and  gives  careful  descriptions  of  species  found 
in  the  southland ;  many  of  these  species  are  common  in  the  chaparral 
belt  of  all  our  mountains.  Among  the  more  localized  varieties  is 
"Parry's  Lilac,"  found  on  the  Napa  Valley  hills.  Hybridized  forms 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  15 


of  Ceanothus  sometimes  add  to  the  confusion  of  botanists.  The 
term  "Wild  Lilac"  is  somewhat  misleading,  for  although  there  is 
some  resemblance  between  the  blossoms,  it  is  not  related  to  the  lilac. 
Its  botanical  name,  Ceanothus,  is  quite  as  popular.  It  is  sometimes 
called  Blue  Myrtle. 

The  shrub  bore  another  quaint  name  by  the  old  settlers — "Wait- 
A-Bit" — which  is  quite  descriptive  of  the  thornlike  twigs  which  hold 
one  back,  occasionally,  while  walking  or  riding  through  its  thickets. 
The  word  Ceanothus  is  from  the  Greek  Keanothos,  meaning  a  kind 
of  thistle,  and  was  probably  given  our  plant  because  of  thorn-like 
characteristics  of  certain  species.  The  term  "Mahala  Mats"  as 
applied  to  the  prostrate  variety  has  a  somewhat  poetic  origin,  being 
the  Indian  name,  meaning  "Squaw's  Carpet." 

Its  elusive  fragrance  is  most  pleasing1  in  the  fresh  spring  of  the 
year,  when  the  hills  are  suddenly  tinted  with  its  wild,  sweet  blooms. 
It  is  one  of  our  very  best  honey  flowers,  and  the  drowsy  hum  of  the 
bees  may  be  heard  throughout  the  day  as  they  diligently  gather  its 
nectar.  Later  its  odd  looking  dark  seeds  are  a  favorite  food  of  the 
quail. 

Of  course,  many  promising  hillsides  have  most  necessarily  been 
cleared  of  Wild  Lilac  and  other  shrubby  growths.  But  I  am  sure 
there  must  always  remain  enough  of  it  to  give  distinctive  color  and 
charm  to  many  of  our  mountain  regions. 


16 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


"The  most  helpful  and  sacred 
work  which  can  at  present  be 
done  for  humanity,  is  to  teach 
people  not  'how  to  better  them- 
selves,' but  how  to  'satisfy  them- 
selves' .  .  We  shall  find  that  the 
love  of  nature,  wherever  'it  has 
existed,  has  been  a  faithful  and 
sacred  element  of  feeling  .  .  . 
Nature-worship  will  be  found  to 
bring  with  it  such  a  sense  of  the 
presence  and  power  of  a  Great 
Spirit  as  no  mere  reasoning  can 
either  induce  or  controvert ;  .  . 
it  becomes  the  channel  of  certain 
sacred  truths,  which  by  no  other 
means  can  be  converted." — JOHN 
RUSKIN. 


Field  of  Purple  Lupine  Growing  in  Yosemite  National  Park 

There,  too,  a  thousand  purple  lupine-eyes 
Dream  in   the  purple   of   the  summer  skies. 

— BLAND. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  17 

Lupines 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

Blue  and  Gold,  the  college  colors  of  the  University  of  California, 
are  said  to  have  been  chosen  originally  because  of  the  great  abun- 
dance of  Golden  Poppies  and  Blue  Lupines  in  the  vicinity.  The 
choice  could  not  have  been  a  more  pleasing  one  at  any  rate;  for 
these  beautiful  blooms  still  haunt  the  locality  and  companion  the 
wayfarer  on  many  pleasant  journeys  throughout  the  State.  Their 
beautiful  colors  are  portrayed  in  numerous  flowery  landscapes, 
adorning  our  art  galleries  and  exhibited  by  art  dealers.  Such  vivid 
scenes  probably  seem  an  exaggeration  to  any  one  never  having 
viewed  these  gay  contrasts  in  California's  open  fields ;  but  Dame 
Nature  is  at  her  brilliant  best  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  where  her  color 
combinations  are  at  times  a  bit  startling,  but  wholly  satisfactory. 

Wonderfully  good  friends  are  the  golden  poppies  and  blue 
lupines,  though  widely  different  as  to  family  relations.  Both  are 
"Royal  Good  Fellows,"  not  nectar  bearing,  but  exceedingly  generous 
with  their  pollen  to  their  insect  friends.  As  night  approaches  they 
grow  sleepy,  and  carefully  tuck  their  petals  around  their  precious 
pollen  to  protect  it  from  the  dew  and  other  harmful  influences.  They 
seem  determined  to  make  the  most  of  their  bright  flower  lives  and 
they  are  prime  favorites  with  lovers  of  the  outdoor  world.  But  the 
Lupine  is  better  fitted  to  win  out  in  the  struggle  for  existence;  the 
Poppy,  more  easily  uprooted,  is  gradually  disappearing  from  many 
of  its  habitats. 

When  speaking  of  Lupines,  we  must  remember  that  the  family 
is  an  exceedingly  large  and  puzzling  one.  There  are  more  than 
fifty  species  in  California.  An  attempt  to  list  them  here  would  be 
useless.  But  they  are  not  all  blue  by  any  means.  They  flower  in 
all  shades  of  blue,  purple,  lavender,  yellow,  pink,  and  white,  and  are 
mostly  annuals  or  perennials ;  a  few  are  herbaceous  or  woody ;  many 
varieties  are  of  a  shrubby  growth. 

The  small  Blue  Lupine,  L.  micranthus  Dougl.,  so  plentiful 
throughout  California,  on  plains  and  foothills,  is  one  of  the  most 
common  varieties.  Its  billowing  sheets  of  delicate  colors  lend  glad- 
ness to  the  springtime.  As  the  season  advances,  their  delicate  blue 
and  white  blossoms,  through  fertilization,  assume  more  of  a  purplish 
cast,  and  likewise  remind  us  that  summer  is  advancing. 

In  early  days,  giant  Lupines  grew  in  some  of  the  arroyos  to  a 
height  of  twelve  feet  or  more.  Three  or  four  clusters  together  are 
described  as  forming  a  mammoth  bouquet,  ninety  feet  around.  But 
it  is  rarely  ever  that  one  comes  across  such  a  truly  aboriginal  bouquet 
nowadays.  Fremont  told  of  his  mounted  cavalcade  riding  through 
seas  of  Lupine,  where  the  blue  flower  spikes  towered  above  their 
heads  on  horseback ;  and  Edwin  Markham  writes :  "I  have  frequently 
seen  whole  hillsides  given  over  to  a  sea  of  blue  Lupines,  head  high." 
Thoreau  wrote  of  "hills  blued  with  Lupine,"  and  occasionally  one 
may  still  see  just  such  a  sight  as  that — whole  hillsides,  glorified  with 
its  blueness,  blue  as  the  skies  bending  over. 


18 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


For  miles  and  miles  along  the 
coast,  and  occurring  frequently  in 
light,  sandy  soil  from  Oregon  to 
Southern  California,  a  variety 
known  as  Beach  Blue  or  Chamisso's 
Lupine  matches  its  blue  with  the 
blue  of  the  sea.  It  was  named  in 
honor  of  the  poet-botanist,  Adel- 
bert  von  Chamisso,  spoken  of  as  a 
"French  nobleman  by  birth,  a  Prus- 
sian soldier  by  training,  a  poet  by 
inspiration,  and  a  botanist  by 
choice."  He  it  was  who  named  our 
California  Poppy  "Eschscholzia" 
after  his  friend  the  German  natu- 
ralist, who,  in  turn,  bestowed  the 
.name  "Chamisso's  Lupine"  upon 
this  flower.  For  naming  our  Gold- 
en Poppy  Eschscholzia,  we  have 
never  quite  forgiven  Chamisso,  but 
we  are  pleased  to  be  reminded,  by 
this  blue  Lupine,  of  that  dreamy 
poet-scholar,  and  brave  adventurer, 
who  was  among  the  first  to  give 
knowledge  to  the  world  of  our  won- 
derful wild  flowers.  This  variety 
is  of  shrubby  growth,  from  one  to 
several  feet  in  height.  It  is  quite 
variable  in  color,  sometimes  a  blue 
and  white,  but  as  the  blossoms 
grow  older,  and  fertilization  has 
taken  place,  the  white  turns  to  lav- 
ender or  purple.  The  standard  has 
a  permanent  yellow  spot.  Its  foli- 
age is  especially  lovely,  a  silky, 
silvery  green,  forming  a  pleasant  contrast  to  the  profuse  spikes  of 
its  bright-hued  flowers.  It  blossoms  nearly  the  year  round. 

There  are  wonderful  stretches  of  blue  Lupines  along  the  coast 
near  Carmel,  and  one  frequently  sees  the  wild  doves  feasting  upon 
the  ripened  seeds.  Last  spring  as  we  followed  the  winding  trails 
of  Mount  Tamalpais,  some  of  the  hills  were  most  fair  to  look  upon, 
covered  with  a  shrubby  growth  of  blue  and  white  Lupines. 

There  is  a  particularly  handsome  variety,  L.  stiver sii  Kellogg, 
yellow  and  rose  in  color,  growing  in  the  Yosemite,  but  rarely  found 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flozvers  19 


in  the  Coast  Range.  There  is  also  a  frilly  white  Lupine,  quite  fre- 
quently seen,  and  a  false  yellow  Lupine  which  comes  early  on  our 
hills.  But  fairest  of  all  is  our  lovely  canon  Lupine,  L.  cytisoides 
Agardh.,  with  its  long  racemes  of  deep  pink  and  magenta  flowers. 
It  grows  on  the  creek  banks  and  in  damp  places  of  the  cool,  quiet 
woods.  Perhaps  it  is  partly  because  of  its  pleasant  environment  that 
it  seems  to  possess  a  sweeter  and  more  enduring  beauty  than  its 
sisters  of  the  same  family. 

The  yellow  beach  Lupine,  a  large,  shrubby  variety,  growing 
from  three  to  ten  feet  high  and  found  along  the  coast  from  Central 
California  southward,  is  considered  by  many  to  be  quite  the  hand- 
somest of  all.  It  is  known  botanically  as  L.  arboreus,  and  it  has 
very  pretty  foliage  and  long  racemes  of  showy,  delightfully  fragrant 
yellow  flowers.  Moreover,  it  has  something  besides  beauty  and 
charm  to  recommend  it  to  Californians.  Its  memory  will  live  as 
long  as  San  Francisco  stands  guarding  the  Golden  Gate. 

The  roots  of  L.  arboreus  reach  down  through  their  sandy  home 
for  a  depth  of  twenty  feet  or  more,  forming  natural  sand  binders. 
The  discovery  of  this  important  fact  was  of  tremendous  value  in  the 
upbuilding  of  Golden  Gate  Park.  A  number  of  shifting,  wind-swept 
sand  dunes  were  converted  into  solid  ground  by  planting  great 
quantities  of  this  yellow  Lupine  with  barley  until  the  Lupines  had 
secured  a  strangle  hold  on  the  ground.  Later,  many  varieties  of 
trees  were  planted  successfully  on  the  land.  In  such  manner  was 
built  up  one  of  the  most  attractive  parts  of  this  world-famous  park. 

The  foliage  of  several  species  of  Lupine  furnish  nutritious 
forage  for  stock,  particularly  sheep.  But  the  ripened  seeds  of  certain 
varieties  are  poisonous  and  have  caused  serious  losses  among  stock. 
A  disease  known  as  "Lupinosos"  to  veterinarians  is  caused  by  ani- 
mals eating  these  seeds.  A  certain  yellow  variety,  L.  luteolus 
Kellogg,  growing  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  known  locally 
as  Butter  Flowers,  because  of  the  color,  is  considered  a  serious  pest 
by  farmers  through  its  habit  of  monopolizing  their  fields. 

The  Indians  utilized  the  seeds  of  Lupines  for  food  after  boiling 
them  to  extract  the  poison.  They  also  used  the  young  plants  for 
greens,  boiling  or  roasting  them  by  methods  of  their  own. 

1  here  is  a  quaint  little  Alpine  Dwarf,  L.  danaus  Gray,  pinkish 
white  in  color,  found  above  timber  line  in  the  Yosemite,  and  reported 
from  near  Mount  Dana,  at  an  altitude  of  12,500  feet. 

A  beautiful  and  fragrant  purplish  blue  Lupine,  L.  Grayi  Wats., 
which  frequently  covers  whole  hillsides  in  the  open  pine  forest  of 
the  Yosemite,  is  sometimes  called  Gray's  Lupine,  in  honor  of  that 
distinguished  and  eminent  American  botanist,  Dr.  Asa  Gray. 

Several  varieties  of  California  Lupines  are  cultivated  in  Euro- 
pean gardens.  But  they  can  never  be  half  so  beautiful  "Over  There" 
as  they  are  at  home  a-gypsying  down  our  sun-washed  beaches, 
rioting  over  the  mesas,  or  clambering  up  the  mountain  steeps  to 
wave  in  triumph  from  the  high  Sierras.  Associated  with  the  Golden 
Poppies,  they  form  a  characteristic  feature  of  California  landscapes. 


20 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


THE  GOLDEN  POPPY 
Our  State  Flower 

Eschscholzia  calif  or  nica  Cham. 


God's  Gold 

By  JOAQUIN  MILLER 

"This  Golden  Poppy  is  God's  gold; 

The  gold  that  lifts,  nor  weighs  us  dorvn, 
The  gold  that  knows  no  miser's  hold, 

The  gold  that  banks  not  in  the  town, 
But  careless,  laughing,  freely  spills 

Its  gold  far  up  the  happy  hills!' 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flozvers  21 

The  Golden  Poppy — State  Flower 
Eschscholzia  calif ornica  Cham. 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

/  The  Golden  Poppy  was  officially  adopted  as  the  State  Flower 
by  the  California  Legislature  in  1903.  Long  previous  to  that  date 
it  had  been  unanimously  aeclaimed  the  floral  emblem  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. A  more  appropriate  choice  could  hardly  have  been 
made;  for  this  wonderful  glowing  poppy  symbolizes  in  a  strange 
and  striking  manner  the  Golden  State — its  golden  traditions,  its 
golden  flower  fields  and  its  sunny  clime.  And  then  also  the  flower 
was  born  on  these  shores  and  it  may  always  be  found  blooming  in 
some  portion  of  the  State  on  any  day  throughout  the  year. 

In  early  days  thousands  upon  thousands  of  acres  of  these 
matchless,  shimmering  "fire-flowers,"  as  certain  tribes  of  Indians 
called  them,  were  massed  at  the  feet  of  Mt.  Wilson  and  Mt.  Lowe. 
Their  brilliant  gleaming  could  be  distinguished  far  out  at  sea,  a 
certain  indication  that  the  mariner  was  opposite  the  mission  land- 
ings. The  term  "Cape  Las  Flores"  as  applied  to  these  wild  poppy 
fields  by  the  Spanish  mariners  is  said  to  have  originated  with 
Cabrillo's  sailors  in  154:2.  But  there  is  no  real  authority  for  this 
statement. 

The  flower  is  at  its  brilliant  best  from  February  until  June,  and 
a  field  of  these  burnished  blossoms  shimmering  in  the  sunlight, 
billowing  gracefully  with  every  vagrant  breeze  that  blows,  forms 
a  picture  that  beggars  description  and  one  that  haunts  the  memory 
ever  afterward  with  visions  of  golden  glory. 

No  blossom  of  later  days  has  been  so  sung,  or  painted,  de- 
scribed or  written  about,  or  is  so  rich  in  historic  incident  as  the 
Golden  Poppy.  But  it  is  yet  unrhymed  to  the  satisfaction  of  poets, 
and  no  painter  can  ever  hope  to  catch  the  tender,  elusive  sheen  of 
its  satiny  petals. 

Some  botanists  claim  that  there  are  more  than  one  hundred 
varieties  of  the  California  Poppy  in  this  State,  and  then  it  has  a 
host  of  attractive  relatives ;  but  the  Golden  Poppy  varies  greatly 
in  size  and  color,  its  blossoms  being  paler  or  richer  and  smaller  or 
larger  according  to  the  season  or  the  locality  in  which  it  grows.  Of 
the  many  species  and  sub-species  of  this  plant  as  described  by  cer- 
tain botanists,  ten  species  and  marked  varieties,  including  the  most 
numerous  and  showy  plants,  are  to  be  found  only  in  California^ 
Two  species  are  on  the  coast  islands;  two  others  are  mostly  in  this 
State,  but  extend  northward  into  Washington,  and  one  of  them  to 
the  banks  of  the  Colorado  River;  two  others  are  in  California  and 
extend  southward  to  Arizona,  and  but  one  species  is  found  in  Utah ; 
and  southward  to  northern  Mexico,  wholly  without  the  confines  of 
California.  The  most  radical  of  scientists,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
very  conservative  school,  agree  that  it  is  eminently  proper  and 
fitting  to  call  the  Eschscholzia  the  California  Poppy.  To  be  fully 
appreciated,  the  flower  must  be  seen  growing  on  its  native  heath. 


22  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Floiuers 

Most  of  the  species  of  Eschscholzia  are  impatient  of  fixed  type 
and  vary  most  unaccountably  in  detail  of  form  and  color  under 
cultivation.  This  tendency  in  the  plant  has  caused  botanists  much 
trouble,  but  has  proven  a  welcome  feature  to  skilled  horticulturists, 
who  find  the  plant  so  pliable  that  it  has  been  moulded  by  selection 
into  a  great  variety  of  colors  and  forms.  Luther  Burbank  succeeded 
in  producing  a  pure  crimson  Eschscholtzia,  and  several  other  re- 
markably handsome  things  which  are  considered  very  wonderful  and 
beautiful  by  those  who  prefer  made-over  flowers.  But  to  appre- 
ciate one  of  the  most  graceful  and  elegant  flowers  in  the  world,  one 
must  find  the  Golden  Poppy,  growing  under  favorable  conditions,  in 
its  native  habitat. 

Its  graceful  stem,  a  foot  or  more  tall ;  its  finely  dissected,  bluish- 
green  foliage,  and  above  all,  the  rich  golden  cup,  three  or  four 
inches  in  diameter,  with  its  satiny  texture  and  indescribable  sheen, 
like  the  bloom  on  fruit,  form  a  dream  of  pure  loveliness.  No  artist 
has  ever  done  the  poppy  justice,  nor  yet  has  it  ever  been  described. 
The. blossoms  in  the  full  perfection  of  their  glory  seem  to  have  caught 
the  sun's  fire,  and  have  a  teasing,  elusive  quality,  a  maddening,  glad- 
dening something,  that  just  escapes  you — that  has  never  been  named 
—that  will  never  be  caught  by  the  artist's  brush — that  will  remain, 
always,  as  was  intended — this  flower's  tender  secret,  its  delicate, 
elusive  charm.  And  it  is  so  dainty  in  its  habits !  The  exquisite 
texture  of  its  lovely  satin  gown  is  carefully  protected,  sheathed  in 
a  clean  green  cap,  which  is  slowly  pushed  off  when  it  is  ready  to 
open  its  petals.  All  day  its  glory  is  shared  with  the  world,  and 
from  the  plentiful  stores  of  its  rich  golden  pollen  the  bees  and  other 
insects  may  gather  at  will ;  but  it  will  have  none  of  the  "fly-by- 
nights,"  and  so  surely  it  withdraws  itself  from  the  eventide,  folding 
its  silken  draperies,  petal  upon  petal,  over  its  rich  golden  heart,  pro- 
tecting its  pollen  from  the  dews  and  harmful  influences,  to  unfurl 
the  next  day  when  the  sun  is  high  in  the  heavens.  It  is  a  true  child 
of  the  sun.  Who  that  has  seen  a  California  Poppy  field  at  mid-day, 
matching  its  glory  with  the  glory  of  the  sun-god,  has  not  marveled 
at  this  great  wealth  of  brilliant  color?  Even  in  death,  the  Poppy 
is  beautiful,  for  its  petals,  lightly  shed,  are  still  fresh  and  fair,  and 
when  dried  they  turn  to  a  dusky  gold. 

Indians  had  many  superstitions  regarding  the  flower.  One  was 
that  a  nursing  mother  must  not  touch,  nor  allow  her  infant  to  touch, 
its  glowing  petals,  or  the  milk  would  dry  in  the  mother's  breast.  To 
certain  tribes  of  Indians  this  blossom  was  the  "Great  Spirit  Flower," 
and  when  the  gold  diggers  came  rushing  into  their  land  to  tear  up 
the  mountains  in  their  eager  search  for  the  glittering  ore,  the  Indians 
,  averred  that  the  bright  leaves  of  the  "Great  Spirit  Flower,"  falling 
back  to  earth  year  after  year,  finally  turned  into  this  strange  gold 
for  which  the  white  men  were  always  seeking.  They  believed  that 
a  deity  reigned  over  the  poppy  fields ;  and  in  Southern  California, 
near  Pasadena,  where  the  fabled  "Altar  Cloth  of  San  Pasqual" 
(that  lost  glory  of  the  Golden  Land)  was  said  to  have  been  located, 
were  Indians  thought  to  have  been  sun-worshipers.  In  early  spring, 
when  the  sun-gold  of  the  poppies  sheeted  the  hills  with  their  dazzling 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  23 

glory,  these  Indian  women  wove  fine  garlands  and  wreaths  of  its 
blossoms,  and  on  a  spring  day,  when  the  flowers  were  in  full  per- 
fection of  their  mid-day  loveliness,  they  executed  their  weird  "dance 
of  the  poppies."  This  took  place  on  the  trail  up  Mt.  Wilson;  and 
the  Indian  women  in  their  picturesque  garb,  made  of  braided  grasses, 
with  the  blazing  poppy  fields  for  a  background,  must  have  presented 
a  strange  scene.  That  was  in  the  days  when  the  poppy  fields  were 
uncrossed  save  by  El  Camino  Real  and  the  trails  of  the  aborigines. 
From  mostly  forgotten  Indian  lore  a  few  of  the  tribal  names  for  the 
poppy  have  been  rescued.  One  name  was  "tesanaht"  ;  and  in  South- 
ern California  they  called  it  "a-tow-sha-nat" ;  while  the  place  where 
Pasadena  now  stands  was  "a-tow-shan-a-my,"  "place  of  poppies." 
Northern  California  tribes  called  the  flower  "dis-shu-le"  and  "to- 
shu-le"  and  "shu-le."  But  then  they  called  all  flowers  "shu-le."  f 
The  Indians  used  the  young  plants  for  greens.  They  used  its 
blossoms  and  leaves  for  medicinal  purposes. 

There  is  a  pretty  legend  attached  to  the  Spanish  name  "Calce- 
de-oro"  as  applied  to  the  poppy.  An  early  Spanish  explorer,  upon 
first  seeing  the  flower,  reverently  raised  its  golden  cup  to  his  lips 
and  exclaimed :  "Behold !  I  have  found  the  Holy  Grail — the  Calce- 
de-oro"  (which  means  chalice  of  gold). 

Sister  Anna  Raphael,  of  Notre  Dame  College,  in  San  Jose,  has 
told  us  that  Padre  Junipero  Serra  is  said  to  have  exclaimed  when 
first  he  saw  the  Golden  Poppy  fields :  "O  happy  omen !"  She 
embodied  this  thought  in  the  following  sweet  lines : 

"Be  still  to  us  by  dusty  inlays, 
An  angel-song  of  peace  and  praise, 
Be  still  a  chalice  lifted  up, 
The  Holy  Grail's  anointed  cup 
That  blesses,  strengthens,   purifies, 
And  woos  our  spirit  to  the  skies." 

It  was  probably  this  thought  that  gave  rise  to  another  tradition, 
immortalized  by  Carrie  Stephans  Walter : 

"but  one  day  came, 

An  hundred  years  and  more  ago,  a  band 
Of  holy  friars  to  our  shores. 
The  sun- gold  flower  they  'Amapola'  named 
.     .     .     Adding,  as  whispered  benedicite, 
'Copa-de-oro,'  Holy  Grail,  ^uhich  holds 
Within  its  sacred  chalice  heaven's  gift 
Of  Golden  Beauty,  California's  doiuer." 

("Amapola"  means  poppy,  and  "copa-de-oro,"  cup  of  gold.) 

The  Spaniards  had  other  quaint  names  for  the  flower.  Among 
them  were  "dormidera"  (the  sleepy  one)  and  "torosa"  and  "to-  ' 
rongo" — but  I  am  not  quite  sure  of  their  meaning.  They  used  the 
plant  for  remedial  purposes  and  also  steeped  its  leaves  in  bear  oil 
or  olive  oil  to  make  a  tonic  for  their  hair,  which  they  claimed  pro- 
duced a  wonderful  growth  and  imparted  a  peculiar  luster. 


24  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

The  gold  diggers,  despite  their  eagerness  to  uncover  the  wealth 
within  the  hills,  were  struck  by  the  unusual  beauty  of  these  flowers, 
as  evinced  by  the  fact  that  'many  pressed  specimens  were  enclosed 
in  their  letters  back  home.  They  called  it  the  "Gold  Flower."  In 
the  early  fifties,  the  poppy  was  called  the  "Californicus." 

Its  discovery  to  the  botanical  world  was  a  very  interesting 
incident.  In  1815,  Count  Romanzoff  of  Russia  sent  the  "Rurick" 
on  an  exploring  expedition  under  the  command  of  Otto  von  Kotzebue 
to  find  if  possible  a  passage  north  of  America  connecting  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans.  A  group  of  enthusiastic  young  scien- 
tists accompanied  the  expedition :  Aelbert  von  Chammisso,  poet, 
author  and  botanist ;  Dr.  John  Frederick  Eschscholz,  a  German  sur- 
geon and  naturalist,  and  a  youth  by  the  name  of  Choris,  the  artist. 
Kotzebue,  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  was  the  son  of  a  great  German 
dramatist  whose  plays  were  then  the  most  popular  in  the  world. 
Eschscholz,  but  twenty-two  years  old,  had  already  won  fame  as  a 
naturalist..  Choris,  two  years  younger,  afterward  became  one  of 
the  historical  painters  of  Russia.  Chammisso,  the  botanist,  thirty- 
four  years  old,  was  a  French  nobleman  by  birth.  He  had  won  fame 
as  the  author  of  an  unusual  story  entitled  "Peter  Schlemihl,"  an 
amusing  tale  of  a  man  who  sold  his  shadow.  It  was  this  group  of 
distinguished  young  men  who  first  sent  specimens,  notes,  and  draw- 
ings of  the  California  Poppy  to  Europe.  But  it  was  not  until  1820 
that  Chammisso  published  a  detailed  account  of  the  flower,  which 
he  had  named  Eschscholzia  in  honor  of  his  friend  and  co-worker, 
and  calif  ornica,  after  the  land  of  its  birth.  This  account  was  first 
published  in  Madrid?  Spain,  just  a  century  ago.  Chammisso  re- 
ferred to  his  companion  in  labor  as  "the  very  skillful,  very  learned, 
very  amicable  Eschscholz,  Dr.  of  medicine  and  equally  expert  in 
botany  and  entomology."  From  seeds  collected  by  Chammisso  the 
flower  was  probably  introduced  into  European  gardens,  and  later 
its  popularity  was  established  by  seeds  collected  by  David  Douglas 
and  sent  back  to  the  Royal  Horticultural  Gardens  in  England,  from 
whence  they  were  later  distributed  to  all  parts  of  .the  world,  including 
the  Atlantic  States,  which  received  their  first  seeds  from  Europe. 

California  is  particularly  rich  in  romantic  incident.  The  dis- 
covery of  the  Eschscholzia  calif  ornica  Cham,  is  an  interesting  tale. 
But  to  Californians  this  beautiful  blossom  will  always  be  simply  the 
Golden  or  California  Poppy;  after  all,  are  not  the  people  the  best 
judge  of  what  a  flower  should  be  called — a  flower  so  endeared  to 
them  by  memories  of  home  and  by  its  sunny,  friendly  presence  every- 
where throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Golden  State  ? 

In  a  February,  1910,  number  of  Collier's  Weekly,  Caspar  Whit- 
ney deplores  the  gradual  disappearance  of  the  California  Poppy 
fields.  He  writes : 

"Fifteen  years  ago,  California  had  acres  upon  acres  of  those 
beautiful  flower  things,  the  Wild  Poppy.  Even  ten  years  ago,  great 
golden  fields  of  these  exquisites  of  the  open  plenteously  adorned  the 
southern  half  of  the  State.  Then  tourists  began  pulling  them  up 
by  the  armsful — by  the  roots.  Not  with  the  wish  to  elsewhere 
establish  poppy  loveliness  through  transplanting  did  these  vandals 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  25 

uproot  this  jewel  of  wild  flowerdom,  but  only  to  feed  that  coarse 
passion  which  delights  in  destroying  flowers  and  killing  birds.  So 
ravaged  are  those  once  joyously  laden  fields  that  now  one  must 
actually  seek  them,  as  one  looks  for  the  big  trees,  in  certain  seques- 
tered spots. 

"California  should  enact  a  law  protecting  its  remaining  poppies, 
because  to  get  a  sight  of  those  golden  fields  has  taken  many  a  trav- 
eler to  the  coast;  and  California's  natural  beauties  are  assets  which 
the  Californians  will  be  wise  in  safeguarding  against  foreign 
vandalism  and  native  gluttony." 


California  Poppy 

(Copa  De  Oro) 

Thy  satin  vesture  richer  is  than  looms 

Of  Orient  weave  for  raiment  of  her  kings! 
Not  dyes  of  olden  Tyre,  not  precious  things 
Regathered  from  the  long-forgotten  tombs' 
Of  buried  empires,  not  the  Iris  plumes 
That  wave  upon  the  tropics'  myriad  wings, 
Not  all  proud  Sheba's  queenly  offerings 
Could  match  the  golden  marvel  of  thy  blooms, 
For  thou  art  nurtured  from  the  treasure-veins 
Of  this  fair  land;  thy  golden  rootlets  sup 
Her  sands  of  gold — of  gold  thy  petals  spun. 
Her  golden  glory,  thou!  on  hills  and  plains 
Lifting,  exultant,  every  kingly  cup 
Brimmed  with  the  golden  vintage  of  the  sun. 
— INA  COOLBRITH. 


26 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Mariposa  Lily  (Calochortus) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  27 

Mariposa  Lily  (Calochortus) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

The  Mariposa  Lily  inspired  one  of  the  finest  poems  in  the  Eng- 
lish language.  I  refer  to  the  exquisite  tribute  to  this  beautiful  blos- 
som by  California's  poet  laureate,  Ina  Coolbrith.  Nor  is  Miss  Cool- 
brith  the  only  famed  Westerner  whose  worshipful  praise  of  the 
Mariposa  is  engraved  in  the  literature  of  the  West.  John  Muir's 
outburst  of  adoration  for  a  member  of  this  lily  family  is,  I  think, 
the  highest  tribute  ever  paid  by  man  to  a  flower,  although  the  species 
to  which  he  refers  is  quite  a  different  one  from  the  airy-winged 
butterfly  tulip  which  Miss  Coolbrith  had  in  mind. 

C.  albus,  whose  common  name  is  "Lantern  of  the  Fairies," 
belongs  to  that  section  of  the  genus  known  as  Globe  Tulip.  Of  this 
lovely  blossom,  the  great  naturalist  wrote : 

"Found  a  lovely  lily  (Calochortus  albus)  in  a  shady  adenostoma 
thicket  near  Coulterville.  It  is  white  with  a  faint  purplish  tinge 
inside  at  the  base  of  the  petals,  a  most  impressive  plant,  pure  as  a 
show  crystal,  one  of  the  plant  saints- that  all  must  love  and  be  made 
so  much  the  purer  by  it  every  time  it  is  seen.  It  puts  the  roughest 
mountaineer  on  his  good  behavior.  With  this  plant  the  whole  world 
would  seem  rich  though  none  other  existed.  It  is  not  easy  to  keep 
on  with  the  camp  crowd  while  such  plant  people  are  standing  preach- 
ing by  the  wayside." 

There  are  three  groups  of  Calochortus :  The  Mariposa  Lilies 
with  their  lovely  cup-shaped  flowers ;  the  Globe  Tulip  with  nodding, 
globular  flowers,  and  the  exquisite  little  Star  Tulips  with  erect,  star- 
like  blossoms. 

Almost  every  locality  has  its  "Mariposa."  There  are  forty  or 
more  varieties  in  California  and  all  of  them  are  extremely  beautiful. 
There  are  many  forms  which  seem  to  hybridize  until  only  experts 
can  tell  one  from  another,  and  botanists  are  forever  disagreeing  on 
the  nomenclature.  It  would  probably  be  more  correct  to  say  Mari- 
posa Tulip  than  Mariposa  Lily,  for  botanists  place  them  in  the  tulip 
family.  The  rather  tall,  cup-shaped,  or  open  campanulate  flowers 
on  very  erect  stems  resemble  tulips.  The  California  varieties,  many 
of  them,  are  said  to  be  more  delicately  beautiful  than  the  tulips  of 
Europe. 

When  speaking  of  "Mariposa,"  it  seems  well  to  remember  that 
the  name  was  given  by  the  early  Spanish-Californians  and  means 
"Butterfly,"  which  is  very  appropriate;  the  flowers  resemble  nothing 
so  much  as  delicately  tinted  and  mottled  butterflies  hovering  over 
the  grass  on  open  glades  and  fields.  Their  fragile,  grass-like  stems 
are  so  delicately  green  and  tall,  and  so  lightly  and  airily  do  the 
blossoms  nod  in  the  passing  breezes,  that  I  am  always  reminded, 
when  coming  across  them,  of  some  beautiful  lines  written  by  Carroll 
de  Wilton  Scott,  of  San  Diego: 


28  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

"Beautiful  zvinged  Mariposas, 

Graceful  and  shy  and  tall, 
Poising  like  butterfly  blossoms, 

Fairest  of  zvild  flozvers  all: 
Dressed  in  your  velvets  and  satins, 

Raiment  a  queen  might  share, 
Loveliest  jewels  that  summer 

Wears  in  her  gold-brown  hair." 

Who  can  look  upon  the  Mariposas  so  endeared  to  poets  and 
flower  lovers,  without  appreciation  of  their  enchanting'  beauty  ?  But 
it  is  hard  to  choose  a  favorite  from  among  so  many  forms  of  love- 
liness, the  gay  "Butterfly  Lily"  of  Ina  Coolbrith's  poem,  or  the 
sainted  White  Lily  of  John  Muir's  choice.  Charles  Francis  Saun- 
ders,  in  speaking  of  C.  albus,  the  White  Globe  Tulip,  says :  "Para- 
phrasing a  certain  old  dictum  about  the  strawberry,  one  might  say 
that  doubtless  God  could  have  made  a  loyelier  flower,  but  never 
did."  This  lovely  little  flower  is  also  called  the  "Satin  Bell"  and 
the  "Alabaster  Lily."  It  is  sometimes  called  the  "Hare  Bell,"  but 
the  small  Globe  Tulip  is  not  bell  shaped.  The  tips  of  its  petals  are 
prettily  crossed ;  we  have  another  flower,  quite  different  in  appear- 
ance, called  the  "Hare  Bell,"  and  it  belongs  to  the  Bell  Flower 
family,  Campanulaceae.  Our  little  Globe  Tulip  or  "Lantern  of  the 
Fairies"  may  often  be  found  blooming  in  late  spring  or  early  sum- 
mer in  shady  places,  in  the  Coast  Ranges  and  Sierras  throughout  the 
State.  A  close  relative  of  C.  albus  is  the  yellow  Globe  Tulip,  C.  pul- 
chellus  Dougl.,  which  grows  about  a  foot  high  and  is  found  on  Mt. 
Diablo.  This  soft,  lemon-colored  flower  is  often  confused  with  the 
Golden  Lily  Bell,  C.  amabilis  Purdy  (the  "Diogenes  Lantern"), 
which  is  found  in  the  north  Coast  Ranges.  But  a  marked  difference 
in  the  flowers  is  noticeable.  C.  pulcheilus  is  very  rare.  Pulchellus 
means  "little  beauty."  This  flower  was  first  collected  by  David 
Douglas  in  the  Mt.  Diablo  region,  the  only  place  it  has  ever  been 
seen,  and  it  is  seldom  found  of  recent  years. 

The  little  Star  Tulips  are  exceedingly  lovely  and  dainty  blos- 
soms. They  include  the  dear  little  "Pussy's  Ears"  so  popular  with 
children.  C.  maweanus,  with  tiny,  bell-shaped  flowers,  is  white  or 
lilac  colored,  and  barely  an  inch  across.  The  blossoms  are  thickly 
covered  with  white  or  purplish  hairs.  It  is  a  low  little  plant  from 
three  to  five  inches  high,  with  a  few  delicate,  grass-like  leaves  and 
branching  stems.  It  blooms  in  the  Coast  Range  and  Sierra  foothills 
from  Central  California  northward  into  Oregon.  This  variety,  be- 
cause of  its  color,  is  more  frequently  called  "Mouse  Ears."  Its  spe- 
cific name,  "Maweanus"  was  given  in  honor  of  George  Maw,  a 
noted  horticulturist  of  England.  There  is  also  a  yellow  "Pussy's 
Ears,"  C.  benthamii,  and  C.  umbellatus,  which  is  white  or  lilac 
colored.  Both  are  to  be  found  in  the  low,  wooded  hills  of  Central 
and  Northern  California. 

The  Mariposa  Tulips  or  "Butterfly  Lilies"  are  more  frequently 
s.een  on  dry,  open  hillsides.  They  have  three  petals  and  three 
sepals,  and  a  hairy,  crescent-shaped  honey  gland  at  the  base  of  each 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  29 

petal.  They  are  among  the  most  characteristic  flowers  of  the  West. 
And  to  quote  Carl  Purely :  "Until  one  has  seen  a  good  collection  of 
these  plants,  he  has  no  idea  how  much  Nature  can  do  in  the  variation 
of  one  flower."  There  are  several  well-marked  strains,  all  said  to 
be  variations  of  C.  venustus.  But  ranging  in  color  from  white  to 
cream,  palest  to  a  clear  bright  yellow,  orange,  pink,  claret,  magenta, 
flaming  vermilion,  lilac,  purple,  green-banded,  and  a  mingling  of 
all  other  shades,  wonderfully  blotched  and  mottled  with  exquisitely 
delicate  pencilings,  eyes  and  dots,  in  rich  'contrasting  colors ;  yet 
each  variety  carries  out  a  color  schenle  of  its  own.  They  bloom  in 
the  spring  in  the  Coast  Ranges  and  in  the  summer  in  the  Sierras, 
and  nearly  all  are  confined  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  But  certain  varie- 
ties grow  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  regions,  and  one  has  been  discov- 
ered as  far  east  as  Dakota  and  Nebraska.  Abrams  mentions  several 
varieties  in  his  "Flora  of  Los  Angeles  and  Vicinity" ;  they  are  par- 
ticularly beautiful  in  that  locality.  The  famous  Catalina  Mariposa, 
C.  catalina  Wats.,  is  common  throughout  Southern  California, 
blooming  on  the  plains  and  foothills  and  coast  islands  from  February 
until  May.  This  flower  is  white  or  lilac,  with  a  dark  red  blotch  at 
the  base  of  each  petal.  It  was  first  described  from  a  specimen  col- 
lected on  the  Santa  Catalina  Island  about  fifty  years  ago. 

Mary  Austin,  in  her  charming  book,  "The  Land  of  Little  Rain," 
says:  "Farther  south  in  the  trail  there  will  be  poppies  meeting  ankle- 
deep,  and  singly,  peacock-painted  bubbles  of  calochortus  blown  out 
at  the  tops  of  tall  stems."  She  was  of  course  speaking  of  the  early 
springtime.  Flowers  are  short  lived  in  that  region. 

The  flaming  vermilion,  tulip-shaped  Desert  Mariposa  is  a  de- 
light of  motorists  in  the  early  spring  along  Southwestern  desert 
roads ;  this  glorious  flower  blooms  in  the  hot,  bright  sunlight  close 
to  the  sand ;  and  with  a  semblance  of  shade  or  protection,  it  is  even 
more  beautiful.  "The  wonder  of  it  is  increased,"  says  Saunders, 
"by  finding  it  in  the  midst  of  such  barren,  sun-scorched  wastes  as 
popular  speech  calls  'God-forsaken.'  The  flower  is  a  reproach  to 
such  a  phrase,  and  seems  to  preach  to  us  the  universality  of  the 
divine  providence."  This  species  (C.  kennedyi)  is  somewhat  rare 
in  California,  but  Margaret  Armstrong  speaks  of  it  as  being  so 
abundant  in  the  foothills  and  mountain  slopes  of  Arizona  as  to  give 
a  beautiful  orange-red  color  to  the  landscape  for  miles  in  the  spring. 

In  his  "Flora  of  Middle  Western  California,"  Jepson  mentions 
three  of  the  popular  Mariposas  to  be  found  in  this  section  of  the 
State:  C.  splendens  Dougl.  and  C.  venustus  Dougl.,  the  white 
Mariposa  Lily,  which  is  sometimes  white  and  often  lilac  colored, 
with  a  rose-colored  blotch  near  the  apex,  and  eyes  and  pencilings  of 
rich  colors;  also  C.  luteus  Dougl.,  which  has  very  erect  stems  with 
fan-shaped  petals,  somewhat  more  claw-shaped  than  the  preceding- 
species.  This  Mariposa  occurs  from  a  clear  yellow  to  a  deep  orange, 
and  instead  of  the  central  blotch,  its  penciled  lines  radiate  from 
gland  to  center  of  petal.  Its  honey  gland  is  densely  matted  with 
yellow  hairs,  with  scattered  single  hairs  to  the  center  of  the  petals. 

The  yellow  Mariposa  Lily  is  a  favorite  with  many,  but  C.  luteus 
is  the  least  lovely  of  all  Mariposas.  A  well-marked  variety  of  the 


30 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

yellow  Mariposa  growing  near  the  Yosemite  is  a  far  more  hand- 
some, robust  type.  The  petals  are  from  two  to  four  inches  across, 
bright  yellow,  with  a  rich  maroon  spot  near  the  center,  and  the 
hairy,  crescent-shaped  honey  gland  is  brown,  flecked  with  maroon. 
It  has  a  yellowish-green  pistil  and  creamy  anthers.  C.  luteus  var. 
oculatus  frequently  verges  into  C.  venustus,  and  gorgeous  varieties 
of  both  are  to  be  found  in  the  Yosemite  regions.  Hall  mentions, 
in  his  "Yosemite  Flora,"  C.  venustus  and  C.  nut t alii  T.  &  G. ;  this 
latter  variety  is  rather  common,  he  says,  in  Yosemite  meadows. 
"The  plants  are  tall  and  the 'flowers  beautifully  colored,  while  at 
higher  altitudes  they  are  much  dwarfed  and  the  flowers  are  very 
pale."  Of  C.  venustus  he  says :  "This  is  one  of  the  handsomest  of 
all  the  Mariposa  Lilies  and  is  remarkable  for  the  range  of  its  color 
forms.  Along  the  Wawona  road,  near  Alder  Creek,  one  form  has 
deep  wine-red  petals,  which  are  darker  towards  the  middle  and  are 
crossed  below  by  a  broad  yellow  band,  while  on  nearby  plants  the 
petals  are  nearly  white,  with  a  dark  brown  eye  surrounded  by 
yellowish." 

C.  nuttalii,  commonly  called  the  "Sego  Lily,"  is  the  State 
flower  of  Utah,  where  it  is  highly  esteemed  not  only  for  its  beauty, 
but  also  because  its  edible  corms  formed  a  substantial  part  of  the 
diet  of  the  early  Mormon  pioneers  when  they  crossed  the  desert. 
These  flowers  are  rather  common  in  the  Southwest  and  vary  some- 
what in  colors,  but  are  usually  a  lovely  lilac  with  the  usual  splashes 
of  color  in  the  center.  This  flower  was  named  by  the  Ute  Indians. 
Through  a  misunderstanding  of  the  word,  the  Mormons  formerly 
pronounced  it  "Sago  Lily,"  but  "Sego"  was  the  Ute  term.  They 
consumed  great  quantities  of  its  corms.  The  Indians  called  these 
corms  "Noonas,"  and  they  were  esteemed  by  them  as  the  very  great- 
est of  all  delicacies.  A  somewhat  amusing  story  is  told  of  a  foreign 
collector  of  California  bulbs,  who  was  gathering  them  for  the  Euro- 
pean trade.  Anxious  to  secure  a  quantity  of  these  choice  tulip 
corms,  he  hired  Indians  to  dig  them,  but  the  Indian  women  ate  the 
"Noonas"  as  fast  as  they  dug  them  up.  It  was  only  by  furnishing 
them  with  liberal  supplies  of  food  that  he  could  persuade  the  squaws 
to  part  with  these  wild  corms. 

It  has  always  seemed  a  singular  thing  to  me  that  while  the 
bulbs  or  corms  of  our  wild  lilies  and  the  roots  of  other  native  plants 
are  known  to  have  figured  conspicuously  in  the  aborigines'  bill  of 
fare,  there  was  no  apparent  decrease  in  the  early  wild  gardens. 
But  I  have  wondered,  sometimes,  if  the  scarcity  of  these  lilies  at  the 
present  time  is  not  due,  partly,  to  the  prevalence  of  collectors,  who 
have  been  supplying  our  native  bulbs  to  European  and  other  deal- 
ers, although  there  are  horticulturists  in  California  who  have  devoted 
years  to  raising  their  own  stock,  and  who  have  greatly  improved 
and  perfected  many  varieties  suitable  for  gardens. 

The  Digger  Indians  of  California  received  their  name  because 
the  first  white  men  saw  them  digging  about  in  search  of  lily  corms 
and  roots  of  different  sorts — "Indian  Potatoes"  or  "Wild  Onions," 
the  early  settlers  called  them.  When  the  Indians  saw  that  white 
men  were  encroaching  upon  some  of  their  food  supplies  (which 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  31 

were  big-  natural  gardens  or  fields  of  these  conns  and  roots),  it 
caused  one  of  our  Indian  wars. 

The  beautiful  wild  lilies  are  not  so  plentiful  now,  and  it  seems 
better  for  us  to  enjoy  the  rare  charm  of  these  elegant  blossoms 
when  we  have  the  fortune  of  chancing  upon  them,  rather  than  feast- 
ing upon  their  delectable  corms,  even  should  they  appeal  to  our 
Anglicized  palate.  There  are  so  many  lovely  varieties  and  so  many 
variations  in  the  well-known  strains  that  it  would  be  an  impossible 
task  to  name  them  all.  They  can  be  likened  only  to  orchids  in 
point  of  exquisite  gradations  of  shades.  But  one  of  their  chief 
charms  is  their  delicate,  grass-like  stems,  usually  a  foot  or  more 
high ;  this  gives  the  blossom  its  swaying  grace  and  that  appearance 
of  butterflies  hovering  over  the  grasses.  Calochortus  means  beau- 
tiful grass. 

These  gay  blossoms  are  favorites  with  insects  of  all  kinds. 
Bees,  butterflies  and  other  members  of  the  insectivorous  world  jostle 
each  other  in  friendly  rivalry  as  candidates  for  their  sweets. 


Mariposa  Lily 

Insect  or  blossom?     Fragile,  fairy  thing, 
Poised  upon  slender  tip,  and  quivering 

To  flight!  a  flower  of  the  fields  of  air; 

A  jeweled  moth;  a  butterfly,  with  rare 
And  tender  tints  upon  his  downy  wing, 

A  moment  resting  in  our  happy  sight; 

A  flower  held  captive  by  a  thread  so  slight 
Its  petal-wings  of  broidered  gossamer 
Are,  light  as  the  wind,  with  every  wind  astir, — 

Wafting  sweet  odor,  faint  and  exquisite. 
O  dainty  nursling  of  the  field  and  sky, 

What  fairer  thing  looks  up  to  ^heaven's  blue 

And  drinks  the  noontide  sun,  the  dawning  s  dew? 
Thou  winged  bloom!  thou  blossom-butterfly! 

— INA  COOLBRITH. 


,32 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


MANZ ANITA  (Arctostaphylos) 

"About  the  flowers  grave  lessons  cling. 
Let  us  softly  steal  like  the  tread  of  spring 
And  learn  of  them!' 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flozvcrs  33 

The  Manzanita  (Arctostaphylos) 
Heath  Family 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

One  of  the  most  interesting  shrubs  in  the  world  is  the  Manzanita 
(Arctostaphylos).  In  the  early  days  of  California  it  was  one  of 
the  very  first  things  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  traveler.  It  is 
still  so  typical  and  characteristic  a  feature  of  this  State  that  it  deserves 
especial  attention.  Although  an  extremely  handsome  shrub,  the 
Manzanita  is  something  more  than  merely  decorative.  It  has  played 
its  part  in  the  history  of  our  land,  and  is  still  much  beloved  by  the 
bees  and  the  birds,  the  chipmunk,  the  fox  and  the  coyote. 

This  unusual  shrub  or  little  tree  never  fails  to  win  exclamations 
of  surprise  and  delight  from  visitors  to  our  land  when  first  they 
note  its  unusual  coloring  and  quaint  appearance.  For  whether  deli- 
cately crowned  with  faintly  flushed  little  alabaster  globes  lighting 
the  way  for  those  industrious  gatherers  of  honey,  the  bees,  or  feast- 
ing with  its  dark  red  berries  the  hungry  quail  and  other  small  colo- 
nists of  the  woodland,  it  is  alike  an  interesting  and  lovely  thing.  No 
less  attractive  is  it  in  its  season  of  rest,  for  its  rich  red  wood,  so 
clean  and  highly  polished,  its  curiously  contorted  branches,  and  its 
good-looking  foliage  are  ever  unique  and  charming  to  the  beholder. 

When  Fremont  was  making  the  difficult  journey  down  the 
slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  near  the  American  River 
with  his  famished  party  of  men  and  horses,  he  took  occasion  to 
comment  on  the  Manzanita  when  writing  in  his  very  interesting 
journal.  He  says:  "A  new  and  singular  shrub,  which  has  made  its 
appearance  since  crossing  the  mountains,  was  very  frequent  today. 
It  branched  out  near  the  ground,  forming  a  clump  eight  or  ten 
feet  high,  with  pale  green  leaves  of  an  oval  form ;  and  the  body  and 
branches  had  a  naked  appearance,  as  if  stripped  of  the  bark,  which 
is  smooth  and  thin,  of  a  chocolate  color,  contrasting  well  with  the 
pale  green  of  the  leaves."  It  is  remarkable  that  Fremont  could 
think  of  such  things  as  trees  and  shrubs  when  writing  of  the  trials 
and  hardships  of  his  party  on  their  journey  down  into  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley,  through  the  rugged  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  in  late 
winter.  He  mentioned  the  Manzanita  twice;  the  second  time  to 
tell  that  it  was  then  in  bloom  with  little  white,  globe-shaped  flowers. 

The  Manzanita  has  been  most  famous  with  travelers  from  the 
East  on  account  of  its  beauty  of  polished  dark  red  bark,  and  of  its 
singular  habit  of  twisting  and  turning  so  that  the  collector  of  canes 
is  forever  baffled  by  this  most  desirable  shrub  in  trying  to  find  a 
straight  limb.  We  have  read  of  a  standing  offer  of  a  reward  of 
five  thousand  dollars  from  an  Eastern  institution  for  a  perfectly 
straight  piece  of  Manzanita  five  feet  long.  The  holder  of  the  reward 
money  need  never  worry. 

Manzanita  is  a  pretty  Spanish  name  meaning  "Little  Apples." 
The  scientific  name,  Arctostaphylos,  is  translated  as  "Bear-Berry." 
But  the  true  Bear-Berry  is  the  Arctostaphylos  uva-ursi,  which  is 


34  "  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

low  trailing  or  spreading  over  the  ground,  with  its  flowers  or  fruits 
in  little  clusters.  This  species  is  found  in  the  high  mountains  of 
Northern  California  and  across  the  continent  and  in  Europe. 

When  speaking  of  Manzanita,  we  may  be  speaking  of  one  or 
several  varieties,  but  all  have  the  generic  name  of  Arctostaphylos ; 
the  shrubs  are  extremely  variable  and  even  botanists  find  it  difficult 
to  discriminate  between  certain  of  the  species.  A  number  of  the 
scientists  divide  the  genus  into  innumerable  species,  while  others 
name  a  few,  but  allow  for  much  variation  within  the  species.  They 
belong  to  the  famous  Heath  Family,  whose  members  are  always  of 
extreme  interest  to  nature  lovers.  ^This  plant  is  a  close  relative  of 
the  stately  Madrona,  the  handsome  Rhododendron,  the  lovely 
Azalea,  and  the  Huckleberry,  also  the  singular  Snow-Plant,  and  has 
many  other  well-known  relatives. 

A  very  beautiful  variety  of  Manzanita  found  growing  on  Mt. 
Tamalpais  and  near  Santa  Cruz,  and  reported  from  other  localities, 
has  the  most  delicate  little  pink  flowers,  very  like  arbutus. 

Occasionally  the  Manzanita  becomes  almost  a  tree.  There  was 
a  famous  Manzanita  tree  near  St.  Helena,  in  Napa  County,  which  I 
believe  was  the  largest  specimen  known.  It  measured  eleven  and 
one-half  feet  at  the  base  of  its  trunk  and  was  thirty-five  feet  high, 
with  proportionately  wide-spreading  branches.  An  interesting  sketch 
that  made  its  appearance  in  "Garden  and  Forest"  many  years  ago, 
tells  how  this  dignified  patriarch  once  escaped  the  woodsman's  axe. 
A  lover  of  trees  was  passing  by  as  a  woodsman  raised  his  axe  to 
fell  the  tree.  He  begged  the  man  to  spare  its  life,  giving  him  a 
small  sum  of  money  to  bind  the  bargain.  I  have  often  wondered  if 
this  venerable  tree  is  still  standing.  A  few  years  ago  it  was  still 
holding  high  carnival  with  the  bees  and  the  birds  in  season  and  out 
of  season.  For,  aside  from  its  honey  flowers  and  nutritious  fruit, 
it  furnished  good  nesting  places  and  provided  shelter  for  the  flitting 
visitors  of  that  region. 

Of  the  species  more  widely  distributed  in  California,  probably 
Arctostaphylos  manzaniia  Parry  is  better  known,  as  this  is  the  true 
Manzanita  or  "little  apple"  of  the  Spanish-speaking  people.  In 
mountain  regions  a  clear  amber  jelly  of  delicious  taste  is  made  from 
its  fruit. 

The  fruit  of  the  Big-Berried  Manzanita  is  much  larger.  Its 
berries  often  exceed  three-quarters  of  an  inch  across,  and  instead  of 
the  usual  seeds,  it  has  a  stone  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  But  this 
species  is  rare  and  of  somewhat  local  occurrence.  It  has  been  re- 
ported as  occurring  in  the  Mt.  Diablo  Range  and  other  localities 
from  Monterey  south  to  Los  Angeles. 

Probably  the  most  widely  distributed  species,  more  common  in 
the  chaparral  districts  of  all  our  mountains,  is  A.  tomentosa  Doug- 
las. In  the  mountains  of  Northern  California,  hogs  consume  great 
quantities  of  the  fruit  and  are  said  to  fatten  on  them.  Many  people 
in  the  foothills  make  an  excellent  vinegar  from  crushed  Manzanita 
berries.  An  infusion  prepared  from  its  leaves  is  the  basis  of  an 
official  drug  used  in  catarrhal  troubles.  Its  leaves  boiled  in  hot 
water  furnish  a  decoction  used  by  others  for  relief  from  Poison 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  35 

Oak.  Its  green  berries  chewed  slightly  and  held  in  the  mouth  will 
quench  the  thirst  of  travelers  on  hot,  dry  hillsides  where  water  is 
sometimes  almost  as  scarce  as  in  the  desert  regions. 

In  the  days  of  the  Red  Man,  Manzanita  tracts  were  recognized 
by  family  or  tribal  rights,  and  the  squaws  regularly  harvested  or 
threshed  the  berries  into  their  big  burden  baskets.  The  Indians  ate 
the  fruit  both  in  its  raw  state  or  dried  and  pounded  into  "Pinole" 
(a  meal),  often  cooked  as  mush.  They  also  made  a  cider  from  its 
berries,  which  they  used  as  we  would  vinegar  with  greens.  They 
greatly  relished  this  Manzanita  cider,  served  with  Lupines,  which 
had  been  boiled  in  water  with  the  aid  of  hot  stones.  It  may  be  said 
that  these  berries  were  a  staple  food  with  the  Indians  and  grizzly 
bears  in  the  early  days  of  California,  both  being  able  to  digest  the 
rather  dry,  puckery  seeds,  which  are  not  so  agreeable  to  civilized 
palates.  But  it  was  the  Arctostaphylos  uva-ursi  which  was  the  true 
"Kini-kinnick"  of  the  Western  Indians.  They  preferred  its  berries 
and  used  its  foliage,  not  only  for  medicinal  purposes,  but  in  the 
curing  of  animal  skins.  The  old  chieftains  were  wont  to  manu- 
facture a  harmless  tobacco  from  its  leaves,  which  they  dried  and 
powdered  and  smoked  on  ceremonial  occasions  in  their  "pipes  of 
peace." 

The  Manzanita  is  of  special  interest  because  of  its  wonderful 
root  system.  Many  a  pioneer  clearing  his  land  to  set  out  a  vine- 
yard or  orchard,  learned  that  there  was  far  more  wood  under  the 
ground,  in  the  Manzanita  roots,  than  in  the  little  twisted  limbs 
above ;  and  the  wood  makes  a  splendid  fuel,  being  esteemed  in  the 
old  days  of  the  barbecue  for  roasting  meats  over  the  steady  heat  of 
its  coals,  which  burned  for  a  long  time  because  of  the  oil  in  the 
wood. 

These  shrubs  often  form  a  large  percentage  of  the  chaparral 
belt,  so  characteristic  a  fe.ature  of  California  foothills  and  mountains. 
It  is  to  such  shrubs  as  the  Manzanita  and  Ceanothus  that  California 
is  indebted  for  the  protection  of  its  water  sheds  in  the  chaparral  belt. 
They  help  to  conserve  the  water.  The  Manzanita  is  well  able  to 
resist  fires,  which  in  the  ages  past  were  often  set  by  the  Indians  to 
trap  game,  which  at  times  burned  over  great  sections  of  the  forests. 
It  was  fortunate  that  Manzanitas  had  their  root  systems  so  well 
established  that  when  fires  came  along  and  their  tops  burned  off, 
they  were  able  to  send  up  new  and  vigorous  growths  the  following 
year.  There  are  regions  on  Mt.  Tamalpais  which  furnish  striking- 
illustrations  of  this  kind.  The  Manzanita  is  very  hardy,  growing 
in  dry  and  rocky  soils  as  well  as  in  the  shade  of  big  trees,  where  it 
is  sometimes  confused,  by  superficial  observers,  with  its  close  relative, 
the  Madrona  (Bret  Harte's  famous  "Robin  Hood  of  the  Western 
Wood").  It  greatly  resembles  the  Madrona  in  the  color  of  its  wood 
and  in  the  manner  of  shedding  its  bark,  and  there  is  a  certain  simi- 
larity between  their  blossoms,  but  there  the  similarity  ends.  For 
the  Madrona  is  a  fine  and  shapely  tree,  frequently  forming  park-like 
groves  in  the  lower  foothills ;  its  blossoms  more  nearly  resemble  the 
Lily-of-the- Valley ;  its  rather  large  berries  are  a  bright  orange- 
yellow  in  color,  while  the  berries  of  the  Manzanita  are  dark  red  and 


36 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

usually  much  smaller.  The  Manzanita  bark  is  a  much  deeper  brown 
than  that  of  the  Madrona,  and  there  is  no  mistaking  the  large,  de- 
ciduous, magnolia-like  leaves  of  the  Madrona,  while  the  small,  light 
colored,  evergreen  leaves  of  the  Manzanita  are  curiously  set  on  edge 
to  prevent  evaporation.  It  is  this  ability  to  conserve  its  moisture 
which  is  so  valuable  a  feature  in  this  plant,  enabling  it  to  thrive  in 
the  sterile  soil  of  the  chaparral  regions,  where  its  presence  is  little 
short  of  a  benediction  in  the  wilderness.  This  shrub  sems  to  love 
the  dry,  sunny  hillsides,  and  together  with  its  close  friends  and 
companions,  the  Ceanothus  or  Wild  Lilac  and  the  beautiful  Chapar- 
ral Pea  (Pickeringia),  with  its  bright  pink  blossoms,  they  supply 
those  otherwise  arid  regions,  during  their  successive  seasons  of 
bloom,  with  a  variety  and  charm  unequaled  by  that  of  any  other 
portion  of  the  State. 

The  Manzanita  blooms  when  other  flowers  do  not.  At  Christ- 
mas time  and  before,  and  from  New  Year's  Day  on  into  the  late 
spring,  its  little  waxen  globes,  with  perhaps  a  rosy  glow  tinting 
their  pure  whiteness,  give  of  their  nectar  to  the  bees.  It  is  a  splendid 
honey  flower,  for  the  bees  may  strengthen  and  prepare  themselves 
with  its  aid  during  the  otherwise  lean  winter  months,  and  be  in  good 
shape  to  build  up  big  honey  stores  when  the  rush  of  wild  flower 
season  comes  upon  them  suddenly  in  the  spring. 

The  Mountain  Quail  in  the  Sierras  and  the  smaller  California 
Quail  in  the  coast  foothills  all  love  the  Manzanita  red  berries  and 
enjoy  many  gay  picnicking  parties  in  fruiting  time.  I  find  it  diffi- 
cult to  decide  when  the  chaparral  presents  the  happier  appearance, 
with  the  busy  bees  in  blossom  time  or  with  the  greedily  feasting 
birds  in  berry  season. 

In  the  language  of  flowers,  the  family  name — Heath — stands 
for  "solitude,"  though  it  seems  that  this  relative  has  not  its  place 
in  the  dictionary  of  that  language.  It  may  be  left  to  the  choice  of 
the  individual  whether  these  delicately  tinted,  nectar-laden,  waxen 
urns,  so  refreshing  in  the  wilderness  of  tangled  chaparral,  in  the 
"between  seasons"  of  flowers,  enlivened  with  the  businesslike  huni 
of  harvesting  bees,  might  not  stand  for  joy,  or  hope,  or  happiness. 
Nor  is  the  Manzanita  solitary  in  its  cheerful  fruiting  season,  bidding 
welcome  to  bird  visitors  and  to  various  small  furry  friends. 

The  Manzanita's  lovely  flowers  have  been  described  as  "like 
little  classic  vases  set  in  alabaster." 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


37 


mm&M 


Snow  Plant  (Sar codes  sanguined) 


"The  woods  were  made  for  the  hunters  of  dreams, 

The  brooks  for  the  fishers  of  song; 
To  the  hunters  who  hunt  for  the  gunless  game 

The  streams  and  the  woods  belong. 
There  are  thoughts  that  moan  from  the  soul  of  a  pine, 

And  thoughts  in  the  flower  bell  curled; 
And  the  thoughts  that  are  blown  with  the  scent  of  the  fern 
Are  as  new  and  as  old  as  the  world!' 

— SAM  WALTER  Foss. 


38  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flozvers 

The  Snow  Plant 
(Sarcodes  sanguined  Torrey) 

The  Snow  Plant  is  almost  wholly  confined  to  the  high  altitudes 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  in  California.  It  is  sometimes 
found  in  the  mountains  of  southern  Oregon  and  a  portion  of  Nevada, 
and  has  been  discovered  as  far  south  as  San  Pedro  Martir  in  Lower 
California.  This  weird  and  extremely  interesting  plant  has  gained 
world  renown ;  tourists  actually  come  from  all  over  the  world  to 
seek  for  it  growing  in  its  native  surroundings. 

In  the  Yosemite  Valley,  where  it  was  more  frequently  found, 
it  was  discovered  that  visitors,  with  that  morbid  curiosity  charac- 
terizing people  whose  interest  in  flowers  is  but  momentary,  were 
pulling  it  up  by  the  roots  or  breaking  it  the  better  to  examine  it, 
and  as  the  plant  was  being  exterminated,  a  heavy  fine  was  imposed 
for  gathering  the  flower.  It  is  now  considered  a  misdemeanor  to 
pluck  a  Snow  Plant  in  the  Yosemite  National  Park.  A  fine  of 
twenty-five  dollars  or  imprisonment  may  be  imposed  for  such  an 
offense. 

It  seems  a  pity  that  this  flower,  which  has  long  puzzled  scien- 
tists and  so  greatly  interested  travelers  and  writers,  could  not  be 
better  protected  in  California,  its  native  habitat,  and  that  the  law- 
enacted  guarding  its  presence  in  the  Yosemite  National  Park  might 
not  be  extended  throughout  the  State.  Interest  in  the  Snow  Plant 
would  be  increased,  inasmuch  as  we  value  its  presence  within  our 
borders. 

The  Snow  Plant  is  a  member  of  the  famous  Heath  Family, 
which  claims  many  of  our  finest  flowers,  including  the  Azalea,  Rho- 
dodendron, Huckleberry,  Manzanita,  and  Madrone ;  it  was  long 
thought  to  be  a  parasite,  but  is  akin  in  habit  to  the  Fungi,  and  most 
evidently  it  has  made  some  strange  compact  with  bacteria  growths 
for  their  mutual  help,  for  its  blood-red  tissues  lack  all  trace  of  that 
green  coloring  matter  supplied  by  the  magician  Chlorophyll  for 
transmuting  or  combining  the  elements  necessary  for  the  food  of 
plants  which  earn  their  own  living;  its  very  long  root  is  not  con- 
nected with  that  of  any  other  plant.  Whether  the  scientifically 
inclined  call  it  parasite,  fungus,  saprophyte,  or  aught  else,  matters 
but  little  to  the  average  citizen,  who  is  interested  from  quite  a  dif- 
ferent viewpoint.  Botanists  will  go  on  to  the  end  of  time  splitting 
hairs  over  differentiations  in  plant  life.  A  "Snow  Plant"  it  will  be 
called  until  the  end  of  time.  The  people  have  so  decreed.  Its 
botanical  name,  Sarcodes  sanguinea,  if  generally  understood,  would 
not  add  to  its  attractiveness ;  it  means  "Bloody  Flesh."  It  is  perhaps 
as  well  that  we  do  not  always  grasp  the  meaning  of  these  high- 
sounding  Greek  and  Latin  words. 

So  much  has  been  written  about  this  strange  flower  and  so 
diverse  are  the  opinions  of  botanists  and  writers  regarding  it,  that 
it  has  seemed  best  to  quote  from  a  few  of  our  well-known  California 
writers  of  authority.  I  have  been  greatly  interested  and  at  times 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 39 

a  bit  amused  by  their  various  statements.  Said  that  "grand  old 
man"  of  the  Yosemite,  Galen  Clark,  who  was  for  many  years  the 
guardian  of  this  national  wonderland,  and  who,  after  ninety  years 
of  age,  wrote  three  small  books  on  the  Yosemite,  its  Indians  and 
its  legendary  lore.  (I  quote  from  one  of  these  volumes)  :  'This 
blood-red  and  brilliantly  attractive  plant  is  met  with  in  a  few  locali- 
ties in  the  Yosemite.  Its  stout,  succulent  stems,  covered  with  wax- 
like,  bell-shaped  flowers,  and  delicate,  semi-transparent,  slender 
leaves  that  intertwine  among  the  bells,  all  being  blood  red,  make  it 
the  most  conspicuous  and  beautiful  flower  in  the  Sierras.  The  name 
it  bears  might  give  the  impression  that  it  grew  in  the  Sierra  snows ; 
but  this  is  not  the  case.  Sometimes,  however,  a  snow  storm  may 
come  in  the  spring  after  it  is  up  in  full  bloom.  It  is  thought  by  some 
botanists  to  be  a  parasitic  plant.  This  has  been  well  proved  to  be 
untrue." 

Enos  A.  Mills,  author  of  a  book  on  "Our  National  Parks,"  had 
this  to  say  of  our  strange  California  bloom :  "The  Snow  Plant  is  a 
curiosity  and  attracts  by  its  brilliancy  of  color.  The  plant  and 
bloom  are  blood-red,  but  this  herb  is  as  cold  as  an  icicle.  It  is  not 
a  parasite,  but  is  isolated  and  appears  to  hold  itself  aloof  from  all 
the  world.  When  caught  by  late  snows,  it  makes  a  startling  figure, 
but  it  does  not  grow  up  through  the  snows." 

John  Muir,  great  naturalist,  says :  "To  tourists  the  most  attract- 
ive of  all  the  flowers  of  the  forest  is  the  Snow  Plant,  Sarcodes  san- 
guinea;  it  is  a  bright  red,  fleshy,  succulent  pillar 'that  pushes  up 
through  the  dead  needles  in  the  pine  and  fir  woods  like  a  gigantic 
asparagus  shoot.  In  a  week  or  so  it  grows  to  a  height  of  six  to 
twelve  inches.  Then  the  long,  fringed  bracts  spread  and  curl  aside, 
allowing  the  twenty  or  thirty  five-lobed,  bell-shaped  flowers  to  open 
and  look  straight  out  from  the  fleshy  axils.  It  is  said  to  grow  up 
through  the  snow ;  on  the  contrary,  it  always  waits  until  the  ground 
is  warm,  though  with  other  early  flowers  it  is  occasionally  buried 
or  half  buried  for  a  day  or  two  by  spring  storms.  The  entire  plant 
—flowers,  bracts,  stems,  scales,  and  roots — is  red.  But  notwith- 
standing its  glowing  colors  and  beautiful  flowers,  it  is  singularly 
unsympathetic  and  cold.  Everybody  admires  it  as  a  wonderful  curi- 
osity, but  nobody  loves  it.  Without  fragrance,  rooted  in  decaying 
vegetable  matter,  it  stands  beneath  the  pines  and  firs  lonely,  silent, 
and  about  as  rigid  as  a  graveyard  monument." 

Edwin  Markham,  poet,  says :  "On  higher  levels  of  the  moun- 
tains the  Snow  Plant  pushes  up  like  a  sturdy  mushroom  through  the 
carpet  of  pine  needles ;  there,  among  the  soft  browns  of  the  earth 
and  the  deep  green  of  the  shadows,  this  uncouth  shape  sucks  its 
bright  scarlet  from  the  ground  along  the  edges  of  the  receding  snows. 
In  shape  and  consistency  it  looks  as  if  some  ingenious  Yankee  had 
whittled  it  out  of  the  heart  of  a  watermelon." 

Mary  Elizabeth  Parson  writes  most  charmingly  of  finding  her 
first  Snow  Plant:  "I  came  unexpectedly  upon  this  scarlet  miracle, 
standing  in  the  rich,  black  mould  in  a  sheltered  nook  in  the  wood. 
A  single  ray  of  strong  sunlight  shone  upon  it,  leaving  the  wood 
around  it  dark,  so  that  it  stood  out  like  a  single  statue  in  a  tableau 


40  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

vivant.  There  was  something  so  personal,  so  glowing,  and  so  life- 
like about  it,  that  I  almost  fancied  I  could  see  the  warm  life  blood 
pulsing  and  quivering  through  it.  ...  I  carried  my  prize  home, 
where  it  retained  its  beauty  for  a  number  of  days.  I  afterwards 
found  many  of  them.  They  gradually  follow  the  receding  snows 
up  the  heights,  so  that  late  in  the  season  one  must  climb  for  them/' 

Margaret  Armstrong,  Western  writer,  describes  the  plant's 
strange  coloring  as  follows:  "The  plants  are  shaded  with  red  all 
over,  from  flesh  color  to  rose,  carmine,  and  blood-red,  and  are  trans- 
lucent in  texture,  so  that  when  a  shaft  of  sunlight  strikes  them  they 
glow  with  wonderful  brilliance,  almost  as  if  lighted  from  within." 

Charles  Francis  Saunders,  well-known  naturalist,  of  Pasadena, 
says  that  it  is  a  ''favorite  posie  with  the  mountaineers  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,"  and  that  he  has  frequently  seen  it  "planted  in 
lard  pails  ornamenting  the  porches  of  their  cabins." 

Dr.  Harvey  Monroe  Hall,  in  his  "Yosemite  Flora,"  states  that 
the  Snow  Plant  may  be  found  in  the  transition  zone  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  from  Southern  California  northward  to  Oregon, 
making  its  appearance  soon  after  the  snow  has  melted  and  later 
until  autumn.  Dr.  LeRoy  Abrams,  in  his  "Flora  of  Los  Angeles 
and  Vicinity,"  says  that  the  Snow  Plant  is  frequently  found  in  the 
coniferous  forests  in  the  San  Antonio  and  San  Bernardino  Moun- 
tains above  the  seven  thousand  foot  altitudes. 

A  legend  tells  us  that  one  of  a  band  of  Brown  Robed  Friars  first 
sent  out  by  Spain  to  conquer  the  red  men  of  California,  after  march- 
ing weary  miles  over  the  Sierras,  saw  suddenly  a  crimson  glow 
through  the  snow.  On  nearer  view  it  proved  to  be  this  blood-red 
blossom.  He  gazed  in  silent  awe,  saying:  "It  is  the  flower  of  the 
Saviour's  precious  blood,  a  sign  that  our  labors  will  not  be  in  vain," 
for  here — 

"Far  from  Calvary's  azvful  summit, 

Where  His  life  was  sacrificed, 
Figured  on  the  lone  Sierras, 

Shines  the  precious  blood  of  Christ." 

I  have  never  been  so  fortunate  as  to  find  the  flower  growing  in 
its  native  haunts,  but  have  had  specimens  sent  me  for  the  State 
Exhibit,  and  in  spite  of  its  great  attraction  to  those  who  were  privi- 
leged to  see  it,  I  regretted  always  that  it  had  been  taken  away  from 
its  home  in  the  wood,  where  it  constituted  a  part  of  that  mysterious 
charm  supplied  by  beautiful  growing  things,  but  rarely  seen,  and  but 
little  understood. 

One  cannot  but  wonder  about  the  true  life  history  of  this  plant 
— the  real  purpose  of  its  existence — something  more  than  merely 
being  beautiful  to  look  upon,  I  am  sure,  although  that  interesting- 
fact,  of  itself,  is  sufficient  excuse  for  its  being. 

Its  only  accredited  economic  value  is  that  it  furnished  a  tooth- 
ache medicine  for  the  Indian.  After  all,  it  was  the  aborigines  who 
best  understood  nature's  secrets,  and  with  their  passing  she  is  closing 
the  pages  of  a  volume  more  interesting  than  that  which  is  written. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  41 


vm 

BABY  BLUE  EYES  (Nemophila) 


42  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

Baby  Blue  Eyes 
(Nemophila  insignis  Dougl.) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

Baby  Blue  Eyes,  Nemophila  insignis  Dougl.,  is  the  daintiest 
and  fairest  of  wildings ;  it  is  happily  named,  for  its  ethereal  loveli- 
ness makes  as  straight  an  appeal  to  our  heart  and  reminds  of  naught 
so  much  as  that  blue  which  is  like  the  blue  of  a  baby's  eye.  "Har- 
binger of  Spring"  was  the  poetic  title  bestowed  upon  it  by  David 
Douglas,  the  great  Scotch  botanist  and  explorer,  nearly  a  cen- 
tury ago. 

California,  at  that  time,  was  an  unexplored  wilderness ;  but  the 
fame  of  her  wonderful  wild  gardens  had  been  circulated  abroad. 
Among  the  exploring  expeditions  that  had  visited  this  coast  were 
a  number  of  scientists,  and  many  herbarium  specimens  had  been 
preserved,  while  seeds  of  the  wild  'plants  had  been  sent  back  to 
European  countries  and  planted  in  botanical  gardens.  A  number 
of  these  flowers  were  so  beautiful  and  unusual  in  appearance  that 
in  1824  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  London  sent  David 
Douglas,  a  young  Scotch  gardener  and  a  well-known  botanist, 
famous  for  his  love  for  flowers,  as  well  as  for  his  great  knowledge 
of  plant  life,  to  this  coast  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  specimens 
and  seeds  of  its  marvelous  flowers  and  trees,  not  only  for  the 
advancement  of  science,  but  for  the  enrichment  of  European  gar- 
dens. He  sailed  around  the  Horn,  stopping  first  at  Vancouver, 
and  then  came  on  down  to  Washington  and  Oregon.  He  studied 
extensively  the  coniferous  forests  of  the  coast,  and  although  a 
number  of  scientists  had  preceded  him  and  had  recorded  more  or 
less  information  regarding  its  remarkable  plant  life,  it  is  conceded 
that  David  Douglas  gave  to  the  public  its  first  accurate  knowledge 
of  our  world-famous  trees  and  of  many  of  our  most  beautiful 
flowers.  It  was  David  Douglas  who,  during  an  exciting  experience 
with  the  Indians,  first  discovered  the  Sugar  Pine  (Pinus  lamber- 
tiana  Dougl.).  But  there  are  several  trees,  including  the  Douglas 
Spruce  or  Fir,  and  numerous  field  flowers  that  bear  the  name  of  this 
brave  and  devoted  scientist. 

David  Douglas  returned  to  England  in  a  year  or  so,  but  came 
back  to  California,  in  1831,  to  make  an  exhaustive  study  of  our 
wild  flowers.  He  landed  at  San  Francisco  and  went  immediately 
to  Monterey.  It  was  then  autumn,  which  is  not  California's  favor- 
able season  of  bloom.  The  Mexicans  and  Indians  were  somewhat 
unfriendly  to  strangers  at  the  time  and  they  looked  upon  the  young 
botanist  with  suspicion.  He  persisted  in  his  undertaking,  however, 
and  soon  discovered  many  rare  plant  species,  entirely  new  to  science. 
Douglas  passed  through  some  exciting  adventures  and  overcame 
innumerable  difficulties  while  botanizing  in  the  wilderness.  But 
when  spring  arrived  with  all  her  floral  splendors,  we  find  this  hard- 
working Scotchman  still  pursuing  his  investigations,  and  enthusing 
over  an  entirely  new  specimen — a  bonny  blue  blossom,  whose  shy 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  43 

loveliness  delighted  this  plant  enthusiast.  The  first  flower  he  took 
in  hand  that  spring  day,  he  tells  us,  was  the  "beautiful  wild  goose- 
berry (Ribes  speciosum),  a  flower  not  surpassed  in  beauty  by  the 
finest  Fuchsia."  However,  this  bloom  had  previously  been  de- 
scribed by  another.  The  second  blossom  he  gathers  on  that  inter- 
esting occasion  is  entirely  new,  and  in  writing  to  a  friend  he  speaks 
of  it  as  "a  humble  but  lovely  plant,  the  harbinger  of  California 
spring."  Just  why  the  botanist  should  have  designated  this  flower 
as  "harbinger  of  California  spring"  has  seemed  to  puzzle  some 
people.  Many  outdoor  enthusiasts  who  commune  with  our  wild 
flowers  in  their  native  haunts  will  tell  you  how  absolutely  unreliable 
a  floral  calendar  can  be.  They  may  ask  with  the  poet,  "When  is 
spring  in  California?"  Our  native  flowers,  Nemophila  as  well  as 
others,  have  a  habit  of  blooming  in  season  or  out  of  season.  I  have 
found  the  Baby  Blue  Eyes  blooming  in  February,  and  at  the  same 
time  gave  greetings  to  any  number  of  other  friendly  little  faces 
such  as  Milk  Maids,  Red  Maids,  Wake  Robins,  and  a  host  of  pretty, 
shy  dwellers  of  the  woods  and  fields ;  while  Manzanita,  Flowering 
Currant  and  other  blossoms  had  held  high  carnival  with  the  bees 
and  butterflies  long  before  their  arrival.  California  springs  are  not 
as  other  springtides  and  cannot  be  reckoned  by  the  calendar.  It  is 
unfair  to  the  rest  of  the  beauties  who  are  doing  their  best  to  lead 
the  procession  of  vernal  handmaidens  to  the  spring  to  give  prece- 
dence to  one  who  is  occasionally  tardy  in  opening  her  pretty  blue 
eyes ;  but  her  little  ladyship  was  a  great  favorite  with  Douglas,  and 
we  are  not  surprised  that  he  sought  to  honor  so  exquisite  a  darling. 

Most  people  are  unaware  of  the  fact  that  Baby  Blue  Eyes,  so 
illy  appreciated  on  her  native  heath,  is  now  one  of  the  rq^t  cher- 
ished annuals  in  European  gardens.  Indeed,  foreign  catalo^^  are 
said  to  speak  of  it  as  "the  most  precious  of  annuals" ;  fo^^pivid 
Douglas  carefully  gathered  its  seeds  along  with  those  of  many  other 
interesting  species  and  sent  them  back  to  the  jflfeal  Horticultural 
Gardens,  and  while  a  few  were  kept  merely  as  lljBrftcal  curiosities, 
at  least  one  hundred  and  thirty  varieties  of  California  annuals  were 
continually  grown  and  the  seeds  were  distributed  ti  all  parts  of  the 
world.  It  is  rather  thrilling  to  think  that  CaliforiT|a!s  wild  flowers 
long  since  transformed  the  gardens  of  Europe,  which  contained  but 
few  annuals  before  their  introduction.  Ribes  speciosum  (our  wild 
fuchsia-flowered  gooseberry)  and  Nemophila  insignis  Dougl.  (Baby 
Blue  Eyes)  are  considered  the  most  popular. 

Baby  Blue  Eyes  is  a  low-growing,  herbaceous  little  plant  that 
is,  or  was,  quite  generally  distributed  about  the  State.  In  the  days 
gone  by,  when  these  bonny  blossoms  were  as  free  as  the  air  they 
breathed,  the  Nemophilas,  in  places,  literally  sheathed  the  earth  for 
miles  with  that  color  which  seemed  but  a  reflection  of  heaven's  own 
azure,  or  together  with  their  closest  friends  and  companions,  the 
pretty  Creamcups,  they  wove  dainty  carpets  of  softest  creams  and 
heavenly  blues,  converting  hills  and  plains  into  dreams  of  fairy- 
land, which  have  given  way  to  cultivated  fields,  cities  and  towns  or 
well-cropped  pasture  lands. 


44 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

In  Europe  the  Nemophila  is  frequently  called  the  "California 
Bluebell,"  but  it  is  not  in  the  least  bell-shaped,  unless  one  is  con- 
sidering its  half-opened  buds.  It  is  somewhat  saucer-shaped;  a 
clear,  bright  blue  in  color,  with  a  white  center,  delicately  veined  with 
blue;  its  blossoms  vary  in  size  and  color  and  are  from  a  half  inch 
to  an  inch  or  more  across.  The  finest  specimens  I  have  ever  seen 
were  growing  in  the  Bay  Region.  It  is  a  member  of  the  Phacelia 
division  of  the  Water-leaf  Family.  Nemophila  means  "Lover  of 
the  Grove" ;  but,  quite  to  the  contrary,  the  plant  formerly  covered 
vast  open  spaces,  and  occasional  fields  of  them  may  still  be  found. 
Dr.  Abrams,  in  his  "Flora  of  Los  Angeles  and  Vicinity,"  says  that 
this  species  is  quite  frequent  on  sandy  or  dry  plains  and  foothills 
throughout  that  range.  These  flowers  are  extremely  sensitive  in 
nature  and  seem  to  shrink  from  the  near  approach  of  unthinking- 
people,  but  respond  wonderfully  to  congenial  influences.  Insignis 
means  plainly  marked,  and  their  delicate  blue  veins  trace  straight  to 
honey  cells  for  their  lovers,  the  bees,  who  hover  over  the  blossoms 
in  ecstasy.  They  are  rich  in  nectar.  The  family  name,  Water-leaf, 
is  misleading;  the  leaves  of  the  members  of  this  family  were  for- 
merly supposed  to  have  water  cavities.  This  is  incorrect  and  is  only 
one  of  the  innumerable  and  regrettable  errors  that  somehow  have 
crept  into  the  naming  of  certain  plant  families  and  species.  The 
Spanish  Californians,  after  their  own  quaint  fashion,  call  these 
pretty  blossoms  "Mariana,"  after  the  Virgin  Mother. 

There  are  a  number  of  species  of  Nemophila  and  some  botanists 
have  divided  them  into  innumerable  sub-species,  which  but  serve  to 
confuse  and  mislead  the  non-botanical ;  but  the  Baby  Blue  Eyes  is  an 
easily  distinguished  variety;  when  once  seen,  it  is  not  forgotten. 

The  most  commonly  distributed  Nemophila,  frequently  found 
in  the  valleys  of  the  Coast  Ranges  and  Sierras,  and  quite  common 
in  the  Bay  Regions,  along  roadsides  and  in  ravines,  is  one  so  pale 
an  azure  as  to  be  almost  white ;  it  is  often  called,  simply,  Baby  Eyes 
because  finely  dotted  with  tiny,  pale  blue  or  sometimes  faint  purple 
specks.  This  variety  really  does  prefer  the  borders  of  moist  wood- 
lands and  underbrush,  thereby  perhaps  meriting  the  name  "Nemo- 
phila"— Lover  of  the  Grove.  It  varies  in  color  from  almost  white 
to  pale  blue. 

The  purple-spotted  Nemopila,  N.  maculata  Benth.,  is  commonly 
found  in  the  Yosemite  and  in  moderate  altitudes  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Range.  It  is  popular  with  visitors  and  is  easily  recognized 
by  its  saucer-shaped  blooms,  an  inch  or  more  in  diameter,  and  its 
striking  colors — white,  dotted  with  purple,  with  a  deep  purple  blotch 
at  the  tip  of  each  lobe  of  the  corolla.  The  concolor  variety  occa- 
sionally found  in  the  same  locality  lacks  this  showy  purple  blotch 
on  the  petals. 

The  Climbing  Nemophila,  N.  aurita  Lindl.,  is  found  in  shady 
places  in  the  Coast  Ranges  and  Sierra  Nevada  foothills,  but  is  far 
more  common  in  the  south,  where  it  is  said  to  have  once  been  very 
popular,  for  some  reason,  with  the  Spanish  senoritas,  who  were 
wont  to  wear  its  blossoms  on  gala  occasions.  This  Nemophila  some- 
what resembles  nightshade  and  is  rather  coarse  in  appearance.  The 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  45 

back  of  the  leaves  and  stems  are  covered  with  little  hooked  bristles, 
which  enable  it  to  climb  over  other  plants,  and  the  low  shrubbery 
and  underbrush  is  sometimes  thickly  covered  with  its  dull  purple 
and  white  blossoms. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  frail  little  flower,  Nemophila  insignis 
Dougl.,  or  Baby  Blue  Eyes,  as  all  love  to  call  it,  is  a  favorite  flower 
with  all,  and  particularly  with  children.  No  sweeter  blossom  ever 

traced  our  land.  Yet  in  common  with  many  of  her  beautiful  sister 
owers,  who  have  become  candidates  for  extermination,  she  now 
seeks  hiding  places  and  more  remote  localities  for  her  colonies.  Year 
by  year  they  creep  farther  and  farther  away  from  the  centers  of 
population  in  their  eagerness  to  escape  the  destructive  hand  of  man 
and  to  continue  the  propagation  of  their  species. 

In  future  days  when  the  sweet  little  blossoms  have  been  almost 
wholly  eradicated  from  California  landscapes,  our  children's  chil- 
dren, undoubtedly,  will  purchase  seeds  of  the  cultivated  varieties, 
from  the  florists,  many  of  whom  now  get  them  from  Europe.  They 
will  grow  them  with  great  pride  in  their  gardens.  Perhaps  some 
one  will  remember  and  say  of  this  flower:  "Long  ago,  the  fields  for 
miles  around  were  blue,  blue  as  the  sky,  with  its  blossoms." 


"You  never  miss  the  singer  till  the  sweet-voiced  bird  has  flown. 
You  never  miss  the  color  of  the  flozuer  till  it's  gone." 


46 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Blow  Balls 

Seed  Globe 

of 

California 
Dandelion 


" .     ,     .     dandelion  this, 
A  college  youth  that  flashes  for  a  day, 
All  gold,  anon,  he  doffs  his  gaudy  suit, 
Touched  by  the  magic  hand  of  some  grave  bishop, 
And  all  at  once  becomes  a  reverent  divine — how  sleek. 

;jc          *          *          *          # 

"But  let  me  tell  you  in  the  pompous  globe 
Which  rounds  the  dandelion  head  is  couched 
Divinity  most  rare."  — HURTIS. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 47 

The  Yellow  Dandelion 
Compositae 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

"If  you  are  going  to  write  about  flowers,"  said  a  young  friend, 
looking  over  my  shoulder,  "don't  waste  your  time  on  common  weeds. 
Who  do  you  suppose  will  read  about  a  dandelion  and  who  is  there 
that  cares  about  such  a  common  pest?" 

And  straightway  I  changed  my  text  and  erased  the  more  com- 
monplace statements  I  had  made  regarding  this  blossom — like  a 
miniature  sun — this  lovely  though  lowly  flower. 

"Very  well,"  I  said.  "Come  into  the  library,  and  I  will  show 
you  lines  of  beauty  and  rich  gems  of  thought  penned  by  some  of  the 
world's  greatest  thinkers  and  inspired  writers." 

Here  is  what  John  Burroughs,  the  eminent  naturalist,  had  to 
say  of  this  common  dandelion : 

"After  its  first  blossoming  comes  the  second  and  finer  and  more 
spiritual  inflorescence,  when  its  stalk,  dropping  its  more  earthly  and 
carnal  flower,  shoots  upward  and  is  presently  crowned  by  a  globe 
of  most  delicate  and  ethereal  texture.  It  is  like  the  poet's  dream, 
which  succeeds  his  rank  and  golden  youth.  This  globe  is  a  fleet  of 
a  hundred  airy  balloons ;  each  one  bears  a  seed  which  is  destined  to 
drop  far  from  the  parent  source." 

James  Hurtis,  an  English  poet,  expresses  similar  thought  in  his 
"Village  Curate" : 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  speaks  of  dandelions  as  "golden  kisses 
all  over  the  cheeks  of  the  meadow,"  and  Thoreau  calls  them  the  gold 
which  he  has  on  deposit  in  country  banks,  the  interest  on  which  is 
to  be  health  and  enjoyment.  James  Russell  Lowell  wrote  no  finer 
poem  than  his  appreciative  tribute  to  the  yellow  dandelion : 

"Dear  common  flower  that  groweth  beside  the  way, 

Fringing  the  dusty  road  with  harmless  gold, 
First  pledge  of  blithesome  May, 

Which  children  pluck,  and,  full  of  pride,  uphold, 
High-hearted  buccaneers,  o'er  joyed  that  they 

An  El  Dorado  in  the  grass  have  found, 
Which  not  the  rich  earth's  ample  round 

May  match  in  wealth,  thou  art  more  dear  to  me 

Than  all  the  prouder  summer  blooms  may  be. 
*     *     #     *     * 

'  'Tis  the  spring's  largess,  which  she  scatters  now, 
To  rich  and  poor  alike,  with  lavish  hand, 
Tho'  most  hearts  never  understand 
To  take  it  at  God's  value,  but  pass  by 
The  offered  wealth  with  unrezvarded  eye." 

Dandelions  are  not  only  an  exceedingly  characteristic  and  pleas- 
ant feature  of  the  landscape,  but  are  continually  used  to  embellish 
prose  and  poetry  as  instanced  by  Bret  Harte  in  a  "Blue  Grass  Pene- 


48 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

lope."  The  following  lines  will  recall  to  mind  many  similar  visions 
of  loveliness  on  California  shores :  "One  afternoon  she  thought  the 
long,  sad  waste  before  her  window  had  caught  some  tint  of  gayer 
color  from  the  sunset ;  a  week  later  she  found  a  blazing  landscape  of 
poppies,  broken  here  and  there  by  blue  lagoons  of  lupines,  by  pools 
of  daisies,  by  banks  of  dog  roses,  by  broad,  outlying  shores  of 
dandelions."  Alfalfa  fields  in  the  Sierra  regions  are  sometimes 
yellow  with  its  blossoms  early  in  the  spring,  before  the  first  cuttings. 

An  Algonquin  tale,  a  legend  of  considerable  beauty,  tells  us 
that  Shawwondasse,  the  South  Wind,  sighing  under  a  Magnolia 
tree,  one  day  spied  a  slender  maiden  with  golden  tresses;  but  the 
South  Wind  was  languid  with  the  scent  of  Magnolia  blossoms,  and 
he  neglected  calling  to  the  golden-haired  divinity;  until,  one  day, 
he  woke  to  find  no  longer  the  slender  girl,  with  the  crown  of  golden 
glory,  but  a  faded  gray  creature,  the  ghost  of  his  dreaming.  Then 
knew  he  that  his  brother,  the  North  Wind,  with  his  chill  breath,  had 
blighted  her.  As  he  gazed,  stricken  with  sorrow,  the  white  hair 
fell  from  the  maiden's  head  and  she  was  gone.  Other  maidens  with 
golden  glory  came  and  went,  but  Shawwondasse  sighed  ever  for  the 
slender  girl  with  the  yellow  hair  as  he  had  first  seen  her. 

This  same  soft,  silvery  globe  of  dandelion  down  has  furnished 
the  children  from  time  immemorial  with  the  "Blow  Balls"  so  closely 
associated  with  the  days  of  childhood. 

Dandelion  w4th  globe  of  doum, 
The  school  boy's  clock  in  every  town, 
Which  the  truant  puffs  amain 
To  conjure  lost  hours  again. 

Who  is  there  among  us  that  has  not  at  some  time  in  our  lives 
blown  the  feathery  seeds  from  these  blooms  to  see  whether  mother 
wanted  us.  If  a  single  downy  plume  was  left  on  the  stalk,  we  could 
play  a  little  longer;  and  if  we  wanted  very  much  to  play  a  little 
longer,  I  fear  we  did  not  blow  very  hard.  In  the  language  of  flowers 
the  dandelion  is  the  "rustic  oracle,"  while  its  seed  globe  means 
"Depart."  In  the  long  ago  these  blow-balls  were  often  consulted 
by  young  people  as  oracles.  A  lover  would  gather  one  and,  care- 
fully plucking  its  light  feathers,  would  whisper  sweet  messages  as 
he  blew  them  toward  the  place  where  his  sweetheart  was  waiting; 
while  the  maiden,  wishing  to  know  that  her  lover  was  thinking  of 
her,  puffed  thrice  at  the  soft  down,  and  if  there  was  then  a  single 
feather  left,  she  knew  that  she  was  not  forgotten. 

These  gossamer  seed  globes  are  also  used  as  a  barometer  to 
predict  fine  or  stormy  weather.  If  the  down  blows  off  the  dandelion 
when  there  is  no  wind,  it  is  a  sign  of  rain.  Among  the  country 
people  of  Switzerland  the  flower  is  known  as  the  shepherd's  clock, 
for  in  that  country  it  is  said  to  open  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning 
and  close  at  eight  in  the  evening,  and  the  shepherds  often  use  it 
to  guess  at  the  time  of  day.  There  are  many  superstitions  regarding 
the  flower  and  to  dream  of  them  is  supposed  to  denote  misfortune 
or  treachery  on  the  part  of  some  loved  one.  In  many  ways  these 
blossoms  are  popular  with  children.  In  spite  of  their  acrid  taste, 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  49 

little  girls  love  to  separate  their  long,  slender  stems  with  their  sharp 
little  teeth  and  with  their  lips  roll  them  into  tantalizing  curls.  Or 
the  hollow  stems  are  cut  into  beads  and  made  into  chains  'and  brace- 
lets by  the  children.  Small  lads  sometimes  make  miniature  trom- 
bones of  the  stems,  the  pitch  of  the  tiny  instruments  being  varied 
according  to  the  length  of  the  trombone. 

Even  after  the  little  seed  children  have  all  left  the  parent  stalk, 
its  stem  is  still  conspicuous  and  has  given  rise  to  at  least  two  of 
its  popular  names.  In  the  Middle  Ages  the  dandelion  was  known  as 
"Monk's  Head"  or  "Priest's  Crown."  Father  Tabb  says:  "With 
locks  of  gold  today;  tomorrow  silver-gray;  then  blossom-bald."  It 
was  this  "blossom-bald"  that  was  supposed  to  resemble  a  monk's 
shaven  head.  The  "blossom-bald"  head  is  an  interesting  feature  of 
the  plant.  It  is  the  little  house  in  which  all  of  the  slender  golden 
fairies  have  lived ;  for  the  dandelion  is  not  a  flower ;  it  is  a  whole 
community.  The  dandelion  mother  often  owns  fully  two  hundred 
of  these  minute  yellow  blossoms  which  form  the  composite  flower; 
and  carefully  she  has  reared  and  guarded  her  children.  Like  the 
mother  hen  she  lovingly  gathers  them  under  the  protection  of  her 
wing  in  rainy  or  inclement  weather,  closing  them  tightly  in  the 
little  flower  house,  and  only  when  the  weather  is  fair  do  they  share 
their  precious  pollen  and  wealth  of  nectar  with  innumerable  mem- 
bers of  the  insect  world.  When  these  flower  children  have  lived 
their  brief  day  of  happiness,  the  kind  mother  again  encloses  them 
safe  in  her  sheltering  heart,  where  they  mature  their  seeds,  only  to 
reappear  in  ethereal  beauty,  provided  with  delicate  silver  wings  all 
ready  to  fly  away  into  the  wide,  wild  world  to  establish  colonies  of 
their  own.  The  parent  dandelion,  with  all  her  children  flown  away, 
has  somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  delicate  parchment  with  a  tiny 
mark  at  the  center  of  each  figure  where  the  seed  was  attached.  I 
can  only  liken  it  to  a  patient  mother  whose  life  work  is  finished,  but 
whose  every  wrinkle  is  a  line  of  beauty. 

Another  name  and  an  unpoetical  one  frequently  used  for  these 
flowers  in  the  Middle  Ages  was  "swine's  snout,"  due  to  the  flower's 
singular  habit  of  closing  its  blossoms  during  unfavorable  weather 
and  also  when  maturing  its  seeds.  The  name  dandelion  came  from 
"dent-de-lion,"  meaning  lion's  tooth.  The  jagged  leaves  are  sup- 
posed to  somewhat  resemble  a  lion's  tooth.  While  others  claim  that 
its  roots  gave  rise  to  the  name.  Professor  De  Gubernatis  connects 
the  name  with  the  sun  (Helios)  and  adds  that  a  lion  was  the  animal 
symbol  of  the  sun  and  that  all  plants  named  after  him  are  essentially 
plants  of  the  sun.  The  dandelion  bears  similar  names  in  nearly 
all  countries.  In  England  the  blossoms  were  called  "dazzles"  and 
"dashels"  or  "dashel  flowers."  This  "gamin  of  the  fields,"  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  is  a  native  of  Greece,  but  has  emigrated  to  all 
parts  of  the  civilized  world. 

The  dandelion  need  never  be  put  on  the  protected  list  of  Cali- 
fornia flowers,  or  of  any  other  place  for  that  matter.  It  is  quite 
capable  of  taking  care  of  itself.  It  is  wholly  impossible  to  eradicate 
this  determined  globe  trotter,  so  many  and  ingenious  are  its  devices 
for  perpetuating  its  species.  Volumes  could  be  written  about  the 


50  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Floivers 

wise  little  plant,  and  its  virtues  are  many  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it 
is  considered  such  a  pest  in  the  East  and  is  the  despair  of  town 
people,  whose  lawns  it  will  persist  in  occupying. 

Professor  Baily,  of  Cornell  University,  said  that  dandelions  in 
his  lawn  were  a  great  trouble  to  him  until  he  learned  to  love  them 
and  then  the  sight  of  them  gave  him  keenest  pleasure.  Mrs.  Anna 
B.  Comstock,  of  Cornell,  in  her  handbook  of  Nature  Study,  gives  a 
valuable  illustration  of  this  plant's  tenacious  hold  on  life.  She  says : 
"One  spring  when  all  the  vegetables  in  my  garden  were  callow 
weaklings,  I  found  there,  in  their  midst,  a  dandelion  rosette,  with 
ten  great  leaves  spreading  out  and  completely  shading  a  circle  ten 
inches  in  diameter ;  I  said,  'Look  here,  Madame,  this  is  my  garden !' 
and  I  pulled  up  the  squatter.  But  I  could  not  help  paying  admiring 
tribute  to  the  tap-root,  which  lacked  only  an  inch  of  being  a  foot  in 
length.  It  was  smooth,  whitish,  fleshy  and,  when  cut,  bled  a  milky 
juice  showing  that  it  was  full  of  food ;  and  it  was  as  strong  from 
the  end-pull  as  a  whip-cord;  it  also  had  a  bunch  of  rather  fine 
rootlets  about  an  inch  below  the  surface  of  the  soil  and  an  occasional 
rootlet  farther  down ;  and  then  I  said,  'Madame,  I  beg  your  pardon ; 
I  think  this  was  your  garden  and  not  mine/  '; 

The  Eastern  variety  is  not  so  common  on  this  Coast,  except 
that  it  is  very  fond  of  damp  lawns ;  and  it  always  seems  to  find  a 
way  to  get  ahead  of  us.  Strangely  enough,  on  lawns,  it  blossoms 
on  stems  so  short  that  the  lawn  mower  often  cannot  cut  it.  But 
if  "given  an  inch"  it  "takes  an  ell,"  or  indeed,  if  banished  from  the 
lawn,  the  whole  roadside.  When  blooming  in  the  meadows  or  high 
grasses,  this  brave  plant,  with  uncanny  foresight,  will  grow  until 
it  often  towers  above  its  neighbors.  Specimens  have  been  found 
nearly  three  feet  high;  their  bright  yellow  blossoms,  richly  laden 
with  sweets,  were  bound  to  attract  winged  visitors,  which  assist  in 
pollenization  and  illustrate  the  interdependence  between  vegetable 
and  insect  life. 

Stock  will  not  eat  dandelions ;  that  is  one  of  the  clever  ways 
this  intelligent  plant  has  of  preventing  itself  from  becoming  exter- 
minated. It  has  gathered  the  acrid  juices  from  the  ground,  which 
are  distasteful  to  cattle.  Unless  its  exceedingly  long  and  strong 
tap-roots  are  cut  deeply,  the  plant  keeps  sending  up  new  and  more 
vigorous  growths,  and  its  round  mass  of  feathery  down  is  quickly 
scattered  by  the  winds  and  other  carriers  to  the  four  parts  of  the 
earth.  Its  seeds  are  wellnigh  indestructible. 

More  than  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  dried  dandelion 
roots  (Taraxacum)  are  imported  annually  from  Europe  for  medi- 
cinal purposes  notwithstanding  its  abundance  in  this  country;  to 
make  gathering  pay,  cheap  labor  must  be  employed.  As  a  remedy, 
it  has  been  used  for  consumption,  for  fever,  for  liver  troubles  and 
as  a  drink  to  improve  the  complexion.  Indians  had  a  high  regard 
for  its  medicinal  qualities.  They  also  devoured  great  quantities  of 
the  plants  for  food.  The  Iroquois  Indians  would  search  for  days 
for  them  and  it  is  stated  that  the  amount  one  Indian  would  consume 
both  in  the  raw  state  and  cooked,  is  almost  beyond  belief.  It  is  a 
common  sight  in  this  country  to  see  foreigners  gathering  dancle- 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  51 

lions ;  Italians  in  particular  like  its  raggedy  leaves,  which  they  cook 
for  greens.  This  was  a  favorite  dish  with  early  settlers  and  is  com- 
monly used  in  some  places  today.  It  is  said  that  if  the  leaves  are 
blanched  when  young  and  tender,  they  make  a  fine  salad  served  with 
French  dressing.  The  French-Canadians  prepare  a  "bitter  salad" 
from  its  roots.  In  Germany,  dandelion  roots  are  roasted  by  the 
peasants  and  ground  for  coffee.  We  are  told  that  it  makes  an  excel- 
lent substitute  for  coffee.  In  the  island  of  Minorca,  when  the  people 
were  suffering  from  famine  caused  by  locusts,  the  inhabitants  were 
enabled  to  eke  out  an  existence  on  dandelion  roots  and  greens. 
When  we  are  inclined  to  question  the  right  of  this  pestiferous  plant 
to  exist  in  a  world  decorated  with  man-made  lawns  and  gardens, 
cultivated  grain  fields  and  short-sighted  individuals,  it  is  well  to 
remember  that  Mother  Nature  has  large  families  to  provide  for  and 
innumerable  tiny  mouths  to  feed.  Without  considering  the  dande- 
lion as  a  remedial  agency  or  its  food  values  to  nations  and  peoples 
in  times  of  famine  and  stress,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  ninety- 
three  different  insects  gather  sustenance  from  its  blossoms.  After 
its  gay  colors  have  faded,  birds  devour  its  seeds  and  weave  its 
down  into  their  soft  little  nests.  California  has  a  dandelion  of  its 
own,  of  another  genus.  The  fluffy  seed  globes  of  the  Western  spe- 
cies are  most  exquisite  and  are  a  conspicuous  feature  of  autumn 
roadsides,  lending  a  touch  of  ethereal  beauty  to  the  landscape  as  they 
hover  over  the  dry  grasses  of  waste  places.  If  these  seed  globes 
are  gathered  early,  just  before  expanding,  they  will  remain  orna- 
mental for  a  long  time.  The  Spanish-Californians  were  especially 
fond  of  them. 

The  Western  dandelion  (Troximon  grandiflorum  Gray)  is 
closely  related  to  the  Eastern  dandelion.  It  has  handsome  yellow 
flower  heads  with  deeply  cut,  lance-shaped  leaves,  and  is  a  perennial 
herb  with  a  strong,  deep  tap-root.  It  is  sometimes  two  feet  or  more 
high  and  is  common  on  plains  and  hillsides  from  Southern  California 
to  Washington  during  the  spring  and  summer  months.  Troximon, 
unlike  its  close  relative  Taraxacum  and  from  which  it  can  hardly 
be  distinguished  by  amateurs,  is  indigenous  to  the  New  World,  and 
is  found  principally  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  There  are  more 
than  a  dozen  species  and  varieties  found  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Some 
of  these  have  orange-colored  flowers,  while  others  are  of  a  purplish 
color. 

The  desert  dandelion,  Malocothrix  fenderli,  is  a  pretty  little 
plant  growing  only  a  few  inches  tall,  with  a  dainty  rosette  of  pale, 
blue-green  leaves  and  light  yellow  blossoms.  It  is  closely  related 
to  the  common  dandelion,  but  more  frequently  found  in  the  desert 
regions  of  Arizona. 

With  all  your  faults,  we  love  you  still,  yellow  Dandelions,  and 
the  world  would  be  a  lonelier  place  without  your  friendly,  familiar 
faces  smiling  at  us  from  the  wayside.  You  are  at  once  the  most 
despised  and  the  best  loved  of  blossoms.  You  will  always  be  the 
companion  and  comforter  of  little  children  and  you  play  a  noble  part 
in  the  life  about  you,  doing  your  best  to  lighten  the  lone  places 
where  other  blooms  are  not. 


52  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flozvers 


Iris  (Iridaceae) 

Oh  flower-de-luce,  bloom  on,  and  let  the  river 

Linger  to  kiss  thy  feet! 
Oh  flower  of  song,  bloom  on,  and  make  forever 

The  zvorld  more  fair  and  sweet! 

LONGFELLOW,  "Flower-de-Luce." 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  53 

Iris    (Iridaceae) 

By  Roland  Rice 

The  nine  or  more  species  of  Iris  we  have  in  California  bring 
a  message  of  the  return  of  fair  seasons  in  the  rainbow  tints  of  their 
blooms.  There  is  the  pale  light  of  dawn,  touched  with  purple  and 
cream,  in  the  Douglas  Iris  (Iris  douglasiana)  to  be  found  during 
May  and  June  in  the  Coast  Range  mountains ;  and  in  the  deep  blue 
of  the  small  Ground  Iris  (Iris  macrosiphon)  are  reflected  the  azure 
skies  of  winter  and  spring,  on  the  green  carpeted  hills  of  San  Mateo 
County  and  northward  along  the  coast.  There  is  a  lighter  blue,  for 
the  later  seasons,  when  the  Western  Blue  Flag  (Iris  missouriensis) 
spills  a  flood  of  color  over  the  fields  of  the  Sierras  and  becomes 
almost  white  at  the  desert  rim  of  Mono  County.  Lavender  and 
yellow  are  the  Hartweg  Iris  (Iris  hartwegii)  in  the  shade  of  the 
coniferous  forests  on  the  middle  heights  of  the  Sierras  in  early 
summer;  and  from  Point  Isabel  to  Monterey,  there  are  the  light 
violet  petals  and  white  sepals  touched  with  spots  of  orange  and 
veined  with  lilac  of  the  Bog  Iris  (/.  longipetala).  They  are  brave 
flowers,  these  Iris,  which  form  stout  clumps  in  the  wet,  wind-swept 
marshes  of  our  coast,  or  struggle  with  dry  slopes  and  the  gloom  of 
forests ;  so  that  they  have  become  toughened  under  their  smooth 
texture,  and  their  slender  leaves  have  strong  fibers  as  proof  of  their 
hardiness. 

The  Iris  Family  is  a  large  one  of  over  five  hundred  members 
and  about  fifty  groups,  of  which  more  than  one  hundred  and  seventy 
species  are  in  the  Iris  group.  The  rest  are  known  in  our  gardens 
as  Gladioli,  Ixia,  Trigidia,  Crocus,  and  in  our  fields  the  Sisyrin- 
chium,  which  is  our  only  other  genus  in  California  and  contains 
about  four  members  known  as  Blue  Eyed  Grass  and  Golden  Eyed 
Grass.  The  Blue  Flag  is  characteristic  of  the  Eastern  States ;  in 
Europe  the  yellow  varieties  are  found,  but  in  California  they  are 
most  variable  in  colors. 

The  Iris  has  held  a  prominent  place  in  history  and  legend  from 
olden  times.  In  ancient  Babylon  and  Assyria  it  was  known  as  the 
symbol  of  royalty.  The  Egyptians  used  the  flower  in  their  archi- 
tecture. On  the  brow  of  the  Sphinx,  and  the  scepters  of  their  rulers, 
it  was  the  symbol  of  eloquence  and  power.  The  Greeks  gave  the 
Iris  the  name  of  the  "Goddess  of  the  Rainbow,"  because  they  were 
arrayed  in  her  colors,  and  were  used  to  indicate  a  good  message ;  for 
the  goddess  "Iris,"  as  Juno's  messenger,  held  her  position  by  bearing 
only  pleasant  tidings.  If  the  translation  of  the  Hebrew  word 
"Supnh"  is  correct,  it  was  among  the  Flags,  beside  the  river  Nile, 
that  Moses  was  laid,  where  his  sister  could  watch  him. 

As  a  religious  symbol,  the  Iris  is  sacred  to  the  Virgin  Mary; 
and  Charles  VI.  of  France  reduced  the  number  of  fleur-de-lis,  used 
in  emblazoning  the  French  coat-of-arms,  to  three,  supposedly  in 
recognition  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  The  flowers  were  chosen  as  the 
floral  emblem  of  King  Luis  VII.,  the  gallant  crusader,  and  were 
called  by  his  soldiers  the  "Flowers  of  Luis,"  which,  later,  it  is 


54  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

thought,  was  contracted  to  "Fleur  De  Luce,"  and  again  to  its  present 
form,  "Fleur-de-lis."  It  was  incorporated  in  the  coat-of-arms  of 
France  and  used  to  decorate  the  crown.  Many  bloody  battles  were 
fought  when  Edward  III.  claimed  France  for  the  English  crown  and 
added  the  flowers  to  England's  coat-of-arms.  It  was  only  in  1801 
that  they  disappeared  from  the  English  shield.  Shakespeare  makes 
mention  of  the  plants,  in  "Henry  VI.,"  when  a  messenger  enters 
and  exclaims : 

"Awake,  awake,  English  nobility! 
Let  not  sloth  dim  your  honors  new  begot; 
Cropped  are  the  flower-de-luces  in  your  anus; 
Of  England's  coat  one-half  is  cut  away." 

The  roots  of  these  plants  were  esteemed  during  the  Middle  Ages 
for  their  supposed  medicinal  qualities  and  were  used  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  about  forty  different  remedies,  guaranteed  to  cure  ailments 
ranging  from  sore  throat  to  broken  bones  and  the  disorders  of 
teething  babies.  A  perfumed  oil  was  obtained  from  some  varieties, 
and  in  Italy  and  Japan  they  make  perfumes  and  face  powders  that 
are  much  valued  at  the  present  time.  Orris-root  is  obtained  from 
the  Florentine  Iris  of  Italy.  Nothing  seemed  to  escape  the  Indian 
of  California  when  he  depended  upon  nature  for  a  livelihood,  and 
it  is  not  surprising  that  he  found  the  stout  fibers  in  our  Iris  leaf  and 
drew  them  out  to  fashion  ropes,  nets  and  snares. 

The  Iris  has  been  called  the  "poet's  flower"  and  has  had  a  large 
place  in  the  literature  of  the  past.  But  they  have  not  always  found 
favor  with  writers,  for  Thoreau,  that  great  lover  of  flowers,  for 
some  strange  reason  disliked  them,  and  said:  "They  are  too  showy 
and  gaudy,  like  some  women's  bonnets."  In  strong  contrast  are  the 
following  rich  lines  from  an  unknown  poet : 

"The  iris  grown  between-  my  place  and  the  neighbors 
Is  just  burnishing  in  its  deepest  color  and  glory; 
I  wish  that  some  one  would  come  and  see  it 
Before  it  withers  away,  and  returns  to  the  dust." 

Mary  Austin,  in  her  "Land  of  Little  Rain,"  found  the  Iris  tint- 
ing the  fields  with  a  fine  touch  of  color,  but  in  that  region  it  was  "a 
sketchy  flower,"  a  thing  of  little  beauty  in  the  individual  blossoms. 
But  along  the  coast  and  in  more  favored  regions  the  flowers  are 
quite  stately  enough  to  merit  the  lines  of  Holmes : 


"It  blooms  in  May  and  June. 
O'er  her  tall  blades, 

The  crested  fleur-de-lis, 
Like  blue-eyed  Pallas, 
Towers  erect  and  free." 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


55 


Johnny- Jump-Up   (Viola  pedunculata) 


"Some  plants,  in  gardens  only  found, 

Are  raised  with  pains  and  care; 
God  scatters  violets  all  around, 
They  blossom  everywhere." 

— G.  J.  CLARKE. 


56 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

Violets  (Violaceae) 

Johnny- Jump-Up  and  Others 

By  Roland  Rice 

Of  the  myriads  of  wonderful  wild  flower  things  which  carpet 
the  fields  and  woods  of  California  in  the  springtime,  there  is  one 
family  whose  members  are  always  recognized  by  their  surpassing 
loveliness  and  dainty  ways ;  their  beauty  always  makes  one  pause ; 
we  have  but  one  genus  of  this  plant,  Viola,  which  is  an  old  Latin 
word,  first  used  by  Virgil. 

According  to  Greek  legends,  the  violet  was  first  created  by 
Jupiter,  and  it  was  later  dedicated  to  Venus,  being  much  appreciated 
by  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans.  The  violet  was  called  "lo"  by 
the  Greeks  and  was  as  cherished  a  device  of  the  Ionic  Athenians  as 
are  the  Fleur-de-lis  of  France  and  the  Rose  of  England. 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  the  flowers  were  given  by  ladies  to  their 
knights  as  symbols  of  faithfulness,  and  later,  the  first  Napoleon  and 
his  followers  adopted  it  as  their  secret  emblem.  Napoleon  was 
styled  "Pierre  La  Violette,"  and  the  flowers  worn  by  a  Frenchman 
denoted  faithfulness  of  the  wearer  to  the  fallen  chieftain's  cause. 

Because  violet  is  the  name  of  a  lavender  or  purple  shade,  many 
people  think  that  this  is  the  predominating  color  of  the  flowers ;  but 
this  is  not  the  case.     In  California,  there  are  quite  as  many  yellow 
varieties,  as  well  as  those  having  varied  colors.     Indeed,  all  violets 
are  said  to  have  once  been  white;  one  variety,  some  legends  say, 
became  purple  because  the  forlorn  and  sorrowing  Venus  in  seeking 
Adonis  was  wounded  by  an  impious  thorn  which  pierced  her  foot. 
The  violets,  with  reverence  and  sympathy,  bowed  their  pallid  heads 
and  caught  the  drops  of  divine  blood.     Shakespeare  gives  another 
version,  as  told  by  Oberon,  King  of  the  Fairies,  to  Puck,  wherein 
he  relates  that  Cupid  loosed  a  love-shaft  at  a  vestal  virgin : 
"Yet  marked  I  where  the  bolt  of  Cupid  fell ; 
It  fell  upon  a  little  ivestern  flower — 
Before,  milk-white;  now  purple  with  love's  wound— 
And  maidens  call  it  'Love-in-Idleness.' }: 

It  was  Shakespeare  alone  who  could  create  the  exquisite  pas- 
sage to  be  found  in  "Twelfth  Night,"  where,  while  listening  to  the 
plaintive  music,  the  Duke  desires : 

"That  strain  again;  it  had  a  dying  fall; 
Oh,  it  came  o'er  my  ear  like  the  sweet  south 
That  breathes  upon  a  bank  of  violets, 
Stealing  and  giving  odor." 

Shakespeare,  as  the  chief  of  poets,  has  immortalized  the  flower 
in  many  ways  and  mostly  as  a  symbol  of  modesty  and  maidenhood. 
He  puts  Ophelia  in  her  grave  with  the  words:  "Lay  her  i'  the 
earth,  and  from  her  fair  and  unpolluted  flesh,  may  violets  spring." 

Almost  every  poet  has  indulged  his  fancy  with  the  pretty 
flowers.  Keats  often  wrote  of  "violet  beds  nestling  in  sylvan 
bowers."  Shelley,  Sir  Walter  Scott,  Goethe,  Herrick,  Tennyson, 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  57 

and  a  host  of  others,  from  the  times  of  Homer  and  Virgil  to  the 
present  day,  have  sung  their  praises  of  these  blooms.  Of  the  violets 
to  be  found  in  California,  the  one  known  as  "Mountain  Heart's 
Ease"  has  been  celebrated  in  a  poem  by  Bret  Harte. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  violets,  native  to  California,  and 
they  may  be  found  blooming  almost  all  over  the  State  in  spring  and 
summer,  but  are  rapidly  disappearing,  in  some  localities,  which  is 
a  fact  that  we  regret,  and  we  might  say  with  John  Fletcher  in  the 
"Queen  of  Corinth" : 

"Violets  plucked,  the  sweetest  rain 
Makes  not  fresh  nor  grow  again!' 

Some  of  our  California  violets  are  especially  lovely  and  many 
of  them  are  rare.  There  are  seventeen  or  more  species,  blooming- 
through  a  wide  range  of  colors.  The  beautiful  "Dog  Tooth  Violet" 
(Erythronium)  is  not  a  member  of  the  genus,  but  belongs  to  the 
Lily  Family.  There  is  a  Dog  Violet,  Viola  canina,  growing  in  the 
Coast  Range  and  in  the  Sierras,  which  is  a  violet  color  turning  to 
a  reddish  purple.  Many  of  the  rest,  like  "Johnny-Jump-Up,"  have 
yellow  as  the  prevailing  color.  A  few  are  conspicuous  with  white, 
purple  or  violet  markings. 

While  yellow  is  the  predominating  shade  for  California  violets, 
it  is  not  surprising,  for  this  is  the  land  whose  golden  wealth  is  sup- 
posed to  have  nurtured  the  Golden  Poppy;  and  so,  too,  it  seems 
that  little  "Johimy-Jump-Up"  and  his  companions  have  made  free 
with  these  riches  for  their  fine  colors. 

"Johnny- Jump-Up"    (Viola    pedunculata)    is    a    fairy-winged, 
brownish-yellow  flower,  which  is  found  throughout  the  Coast  Range 
and  its  valleys.     No  flower  is  more  loved  by  the  children.     Some 
people  may  think  it  more  proper  to  call  this  little  blossom  a  pansy ; 
but  the  word  "pansy,"  which  is  from  the  French  word  "pensee," 
only  makes  a  distinction,  in  a  popular  sense,  of  these  larger  flow- 
ered and  less  fragrant  violets.     So  it  is  not  surprising  that  these 
large,   golden   violets,   with   the  upper   petal,   which   has   the   dark 
brown  color  on  the  back,  and  the  lower  petals,  with  hairy  lines  of 
a  purplish  color  at  the  base,   inside,  are  often  called  the   Yellow 
Pansy.    The  stems  of  this  flower  are  from  three  to  six  inches  tall ; 
the  blossom  bends  over  at  the  spur,  and  the  doubled  petal  gives  one 
the  impression  that  a  host  of  little  fairies  robed  in  purest  gold,  with 
soft  brown  wings,  have  assembled  on  the  grass  tips  of  some  sylvan 
glade  to  hear  the  message  of  a  buzzing  bumble-bee  or  to  dance  in 
the  clear  sunshine  with  the  gentle  winds.     They  are  seen  but  to  be 
loved,  and  though  they  be  called  Violets,  Pansies,  Johnny- Jump-Up, 
or   by  the   Spanish   children's   name   of   "Gallitos"    (which   mean? 
"Little   Roosters"),   we  may  unite  with  the   sentiments  of  James 
Whitcomb  Riley,  who  sang: 
"Pansies!    Pansies!    How  I  love  you,  Pansies! 
Jaunty  faced,  laughing  lipped  and  deivey  eyed  with  glee; 
Would  my  song  might  blossom  out  in  little  five-leafed  stanzas 
As  delicate  in  fancies 
As  your  beauty  is  to  me." 


58  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

In  the  language  of  flowers,  the  Yellow  Violet  stands  for  "rural 
happiness";  the  Blue  Violet  means  "faithfulness,"  and  the  Pansy 
means  "thoughts."  Perhaps  one  might  say  of  the  "Johnny- 
Jump-Up"  that  it  fulfills  its  part  for  the  rural  happiness  which  it 
brings  in  its  haunts  on  the  open  fields,  and  is  faithful  in  returning 
with  the  seasons,  when  it  may  still  give  thoughts  for  the  poet  who 
is  to  be  found  in  all  of  us.  It  seems  to  have  been  the  special  pur- 
pose of  violets  to  delight  the  poets,  for  many  volumes  could  be 
compiled  of  the  writings  concerning  them.  Aside  from  the  Rose, 
perhaps  no  flower  has  been  more  written  about. 

I  have  found  the  little  Redwood  Violet  growing  in  the  depths 
of  those  mighty  forest  areas,  where  the  filtered  beams  of  sunlight 
give  a  warm  glow  to  the  great  columnar  trunks  of  the  monarchial 
trees,  whose  vast  height  is  lost  in  their  purple  shadows  and  their 
crowns  of  hazy  green.  There  is  a  majesty  and  grandeur  in  their 
dim  cathedral  aisles  which  makes  one  reverent;  and  finding  these 
little  yellow  violets  growing  about  the  forest  floor,  one  wonders  if 
they,  too,  have  come  down  through  the  centuries  with  the  giant 
trees.  Their  flowers  are  pale  yellow  and  the  sparsely  leafed  plants 
multiply  vegetatively  by  their  filiform  root  stocks.  The  larger 
flowers  of  these  plants,  while  they  secrete  honey,  are  often  sterile, 
for  violets  are  not  obliged  to  depend  upon  insects  for  pollenization. 
They  have  little  buds,  sometimes  hidden  under  the  foliage,  which 
are  without  petals,  and  abundantly  fertile,  and  do  not  open  until 
the  seeds  are  ready  to  be  ejected. 

Among  the  rare  species  of  violets  to  be  found  in  California  are 
Hall's  Violet,  of  Humboldt  County,  which  is  yellow  and  deep  violet 
in  color,  and  whose  leaves  are  three-parted ;  and  Viola  cuneata,  of 
Humboldt  County,  which  is  deep  purple  and  white.  And  then  there 
is  the  small  White  Violet  ( Viola  blanda) ,  which  is  white,  delicately 
veined  with  purple,  and  occasionally  found  in  the  wet  places  of  the 
Sierras;  and  Shelton's  Violet  (Viola  sheltonii),  which  is  yellow, 
veined  with  purple,  and  found  but  rarely  in  the  middle  ranges  of  the 
Sierras.  Among. other  California  violets  may  be  mentioned  Beck- 
with's  Violet  or  the  "Mountain  Heart's  Ease,"  which  is  similar  to 
Shelton's  in  coloring,  but  with  leaves  much  dissected ;  it  is  often 
found  growing  among  the  sagebrush  in  open  places  of  the  central 
and  eastern  Sierras.  Nuttall's  Violet  (Viola  nutallii)  is  a  large, 
yellow,  brown  and  purple  violet  found  in  Northern  California,  from 
Humboldt  to  Modoc  County;  and  in  the  eastern  Sierras  one  some- 
times finds  Viola  cucullata.  In  color  it  is  a  deep,  clear  lavender  to 
purple.  Then  there  is  that  moisture-loving  variety,  Viola  glabella, 
bright  yellow  and  purple  veined,  growing  in  wet  places  in  woods  of 
the  Coast  Range  and  Sierras.  The  Cut  Leaf  Violet,  Violet  doug- 
lasi,  is  widely  distributed  on  the  open  hillsides  of  Coast  Range  and 
Sierras.  Its  leaves  are  much  dissected,  and  the  flowers  are  large, 
orange-yellow  and  brownish-purple  in  color.  It  was  named  for  that 
noted  botanist  and  collector  of  nearly  a  century  ago,  and  for  whom 
many  of  our  finest  flowers  and  trees  are  named.  This  variety  is 
now  cultivated  in  English  gardens ;  while  the  Blue  English  Violet 
has  escaped  from  California  gardens  and  covers  many  waste  places 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Ploivers  59 

about  San  Francisco  and  Oakland.  This  blue  violet  is  the  one  from 
which  perfume  is  manufactured.  It  came  originally  from  Asia,  but 
was  improved  in  Europe. 

The  Pine  Violet,  Viola  lob  at  a,  is  common  in  the  coast  moun- 
tains north  of  San  Francisco.  Its  yellow  and  purple  blossoms 
furnish  a  joy  of  the  out-of-doors  when  found  carpeting  the  shaded 
woods. 

The  Western  Heart's  Ease  is  to  be  found  in  the  Redwood  dis- 
trict and  in  the  shady  woods  of  the  Coast  Range.  It  has  two  upper 
white  petals,  violet  purple  on  the  outside ;  the  other  petals  are  white, 
and  the  lateral  with  a  deep  purple  spot  at  the  base,  which  probably 
gave  it  the  specific  name  in  science,  V.  ocellata,  which  means  "spot- 
ted with  little  eyes."  It  certainly  merits  its  more  popular  name, 
"Heart's  Ease,"  for  the  comforting  presence  of  these  shy  exquisites 
thickly  sown  amid  the  ferny  carpets  of  the  wooded  hills  lend  a  joy 
to  the  out-of-doors  such  as  more  showy  but  less  loved  blossoms  are 
unable  to  give. 

Herrick  called  violets  "Maids  of  Honor  to  the  Spring,"  and 
they  seem  to  find  a  place  to  proclaim  her  presence  everywhere,  for 
they  grow  in  the  small  crevices  of  the  towering  cliffs  on  the  high 
Sierras  and  over  the  open  fields  near  the  coast  and  in  the  depths 
of  the  shady  woods.  Some  may  be  found  growing  in  open  spaces 
among  the  sagebrush  of  the  drier  and  more  arid  regions,  in  moist 
places  and  in  dry  spots. 

Lord  Byron  sang: 

"The  morning  star  of  all  the  flowers. 
The  pledge  of  daylight's  lengthen  d  hours. 
And  'mid  the  roses,  ne'er  forget 
The  virgin,  virgin  violet." 


60 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


m 


THE  WESTERN  THISTLE 


Po pillar  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flozvers 61 

Thistles 

By  Roland  Rice 

"Thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it  bring  forth 
to  thee;  and  thou  shalt  eat  the  herb  of  the  fields!' 

GENESIS  iii-18. 

It  seems  to  be  in  the  Bible  that  the  first  mention  of  Thistles  is 
to  be  found,  and  they  are  mentioned  as  a  part  of  the  primal  curse. 
But  perhaps  few  other  flowers  are  loved  as  the  Scotch  love  their 
Thistle,  and  few  other  blooms  have  so  many  legends  concerning 
them.  The  Thistles  are,  however,  interesting  not  alone  for  their 
legends,  but  for  their  variety  and  habits,  while  some  are  of  unusual 
beauty.  There  are  many  types  of  these  plants  and  most  of  them 
belong  to  the  largest  of  the  plant  groups,  the  Compositae,  with 
names  such  as  Carduus,  Centaurea,  Cnicus,  etc.  The  name 
"Thistle,"  however,  is  sometimes  applied  to  plants  belonging  to 
other  genera  because  of  their  spiny  leaves  and  stems.  We  have 
the  "Thistle-sage,"  "Thistle-poppy,"  and  others. 

There  are  at  least  nineteen  native  Thistles  in  this  State,  not 
counting  the  globe-trotting  varieties  which  have  come  here  from 
Europe  and  Asia.  They  may  be  found  blooming  in  a  wonderful 
array  of  colors.  Most  of  them  secrete  a  very  sweet  honey  nectar 
and  are  favorites  with  bees  and  butterflies.  The  California  Thistle, 
Carduus  calif  ornicus,  is  a  branching  plant,  from  two  to  six  feet 
tall,  and  has  many  dark,  bluish-green  leaves,  and  flowers  nearly 
three  inches  across,  creamy-white,  or  purplish  at  times,  in  color.  It 
is  common  in  the  Sierras,  including  the  Yosemite.  The  Western 
Thistle,  Carduus  occidentalis,  is  frequent  in  the  Bay  Region  and 
quite  well  distributed  all  over  the  State.  It  is  about  three  feet  tall, 
with  large,  spiny  leaves.  The  flower  is  about  two  inches  long, 
about  as  thick,  the  base  tipped  with  brown  spines  and  the  top  with 
tubular,  red  or  wine-colored  blooms.  Some  of  the  native  Thistles 
are  very  decorative  in  appearance  and  should  find  a  place  in  our 
gardens. 

To  indicate  that  there  are  still  interesting  plants  to  be  found 
that  have  not  yet  been  described,  we  might  cite  the  instance  of  a 
new  Thistle  recently  discovered  in  the  Berkeley  Hills,  by  Miss 
Walker,  of  the  University  of  California  Herbarium.  The  colors  of 
Thistles  vary  according  to  the  conditions  of  their  locality.  It  is 
unfortunate  that  some  of  these  plants  have  become  such  a  nuisance 
in  our  fields.  But  the  trouble  makers  are  mostly  aliens,  I  believe, 
and  should  not  be  considered  as  our  native  wildings. 

The  so-called  Russian  Thistle,  Salsola  tragus,  which  is  related 
to  the  Saltwort,  and  called  a  thistle  because  of  its  spiny  leaves  and 
stems,  has  found  its  way  here  and  is  very  troublesome  in  our  fields ; 
so  that  we  may  almost  believe  the  Russian  peasant  tale  which  tells 
us  that  the  devil  often  sowed  thistle  seeds  among  the  good  seeds 
of  the  grain  fields,  thereby  causing  much  hardship  to  the  farmers. 


62  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

Certain  varieties  of  Thistles,  long  cultivated  in  the  gardens  of 
Mediterranean  regions,  have  emigrated  to  this  country  and  now 
occupy  vacant  lots  in  our  cities  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  vegetation. 
They  spread  rapidly  and  are  considered  among  our  worst  weeds. 
One  of  these  is  the  Milk  Thistle,  Silybnm  marianum,  which  was 
introduced  to  San  Francisco,  about  1853,  from  southern  Europe, 
where  it  was  cultivated  for  its  roots,  which  were  used  like  Salsify 
or  "vegetable  oysters,"  and  the  leaves  for  salads  or  pot  herbs.  It 
is  this  plant  which  has  a  pretty  legend  concerning  it.  On  the  jour- 
ney to  Egypt,  we  are  told,  when  the  holy  family  were  fleeing  from 
Herod,  the  Virgin  Mary  stopped  to  nurse  the  Infant.  Growing  all 
around  were  thistles  with  large  green  leaves  and  purple  blossoms 
(the  one  called  Silybum  marianum  after  the  Virgin).  Some  drops 
of  milk  fell  on  the  leaves,  spotting  them  white.  For  this  honor,  all 
of  the  plants  of  this  thistle  afterwards  appeared  with  white-blotched 
leaves. 

Others  there  are,  of  these  weedy  pests,  which  are  of  interest 
because  of  the  history  connected  with  their  names.  Such  an  one, 
known  as  the  "Napa  Thistle,"  C:  melitensis,  with  spiny  yellow 
flowers,  is  abundant  everywhere  in  the  State.  The  Spanish  people 
called  this  thistle  "Tocalote."  It  is  sometimes  called  the  "Star 
Thistle,"  although  there  are  two  others  which  are  also  popularly 
known  by  that  name.  These  belong  to  the  genus  Centaur ea,  being 
named  for  one  of  the  centaurs  of  Grecian  mythology  who  was  said 
to  have  used  it  for  healing  purposes.  The  specific  name  melitensis 
might  naturally  be  thought  to  allude  to  its  militant  appearance 
and  treatment  of  those  unfortunate  enough  to  handle  it.  It  is  well 
able  to  protect  itself.  However,  this  is  not  the  case,  for  the  name 
means  "Maltese."  The  popular  name,  "Star  Thistle,"  has  also 
been  handed  down  from  the  dark  days  of  the  -Middle  Ages,  when 
it  was  likened  to  a  popular  weapon  known  as  a  "Morning  Star," 
which  was  a  war  club  of  sharp  spikes  set  in  a  metal  ball,  mounted 
on  a  long  handle  and  well  calculated  to  make  one  "see  stars." 

Some  legends  go  back  to  the  days  of  the  Picts  in  order  to  trace 
the  origin  of  the  adoption  of  the  Thistle  by  the  Scots  as  a  national 
emblem ;  but  it  is  about  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century  that  it 
was  first  used  as  a  symbol  and  placed  on  the  banner  of  Scotland. 
The  principal  legend  places  the  time  of  its  adoption  about  the  year 
1263.  Since  that  time,  "Ye  maunt  med'le  wi  me!"  is  a  favorite 
saying  with  the  Scotch  when  they  see  their  national  flower.  When 
the  Danes  were  at  war  with'the  Scots,  an  army  of  Norsemen  landed 
on  the  shores  of  Scotland.  Finding  that  the  Scots  were  encamped 
at  a  little  distance,  they  resolved  to  surprise  them.  Stealthily  ad- 
vancing upon  their  enemies'  camp  during  the  night,  they  nearly 
effected  their  purpose,  and  victory  seemed  already  within  their  grasp, 
when  one  of  the  barefooted  soldiers  stepped  upon  a  thistle.  He  was 
unable  to  suppress  a  cry  of  pain.  This  aroused  the  Scots,  who,  worn 
with  fatigue,  were  asleep.  They  flew  to  arms  and  routed  their 
enemy.  In  gratitude  to  the  plant  that  guarded  their  sleeping  camp, 
it  was  chosen  to  be  the  emblem  of  Scotland.  This  thistle  may  some- 
times be  found  beside  the  road  in  California,  it  is  said,  where  per- 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers .63 

chance  it  may  have  escaped  from  the  care  of  some  Scotch  gardener. 

For  the  protection  it  has  given  the  hare,  one  plant  has  been 
given  the  name  of  "Hare's  Palace."  Gerarde,  the  old  herbalist  of 
the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  tells  us  that  "if  the  hare  come  under 
it  he  is  sure  no  beast  can  touch  him."  "Hare's  Lettuce"  is  another 
folk-name,  because,  according  to  the  ancients,  "when  hares  are 
overcome  with  heat,  they  eat  of  an  herb  called  Hare's  Lettuce  or 
Sow  Thistle;  .  .  .  there  is  no  disease  in  this  beast,  the  cure 
whereof  it  does  not  seek  in  this  herb."  This  thistle  is  known  as 
Sonchus  in  the  language  of  science,  and  is  to  be  found  in  about 
three  varieties  flowering  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  and  scattered  all 
over  the  State.  The  flowers  are  yellow,  the  heads  swollen  at  the 
base  "like  a  two-handled  jug." 

The  Thistles  have  an  attendant  known  as  the  "Thistle  Butter- 
fly." It  has  a  long  tongue  capable  of  reaching  into  the  deep  tubular 
little  flowers  on  the  flower-head,  and  is  the  favored  insect  upon 
which  the  plants  depend  for  pollenization.  There  is  a  thistle-bird 
(the  Green-backed  Goldfinch),  which  seems  to  have  a  happy  lot 
if  one  may  judge  by  its  song.  It  feeds  on  the  thistle  seeds  and  makes 
a  lining  for  its  nest  with  the  fluffy  down  which  is  attached  to  the 
seeds. 

There  is  an  old  saying  that  first  loves  float  from  the  memory 
like  thistle-down  in  a  breeze.  And  to  be  as  "light  as  thistle-down" 
is  a  common  saying  and  shows  how  these  plants  send  their  seeds, 
like  the  dandelion,  floating  with  their  fluffy  balloon  upon  the  vagrant 
winds ;  and  the  shining  fleets  of  its  seeds  may  be  seen  cruising  over 
fields  and  towns,  across  rivers — and  everywhere — as  winged  hopes. 
When  the  seeds  germinate,  they  send  up  a  little  rosette  of  leaves  the 
first  season,  and  the  next  year  the  stems  spring  up  and  the  blooms 
mature  seeds,  then  the  plant  dies,  being  a  biennial. 

In  the  language  of  flowers,  the  common  thistle  stands  for 
Austerity,  the  Fuller's  Thistle  means  Misanthropy,  and  the  Scotch 
Thistle  is  for  Retaliation.  In  dreams  it  is  considered  a  good  omen 
to  dream  of  being  surrounded  by  thistles.  But  agriculturists  still 
consider  them  as  a  part  of  the  primal  curse. 


64 


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Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  65 

Cactus  (Cactaceae) 

By  Roland  Rice 

There  are  about  thirty-seven  species  of  the  four  tribes  or 
genera  of  the  Cactus  Family  to  be  found  in  California,  and  they 
are  mostly  confined  to  the  desert  areas  of  the  southeastern  part  of 
the  State.  This  plant  family,  which  has  about  a  thousand  members, 
is  native  to  North  and  South  America,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
African  species  of  Rhipsalis.  While  they  are  generally  considered 
to  be  desert  plants,  there  are  many  kinds  which  grow  in  the  moist 
tropics  and  a  few,  such  as  the  Rhipsalis,  grow  on  trees  like  mistletoe, 
and  some  kinds  may  be  found  as  far  north  as  Canada. 

The  Cactus  is  one  of  the  youngest  and  latest  developments  in 
plant  types  and  it  is  a  splendid  example  of  the  way  Mother  Nature 
enables  her  children  to  meet  the  requirements  of  different  localities. 
The  stems  are  thickened  into  various  shapes  and  contain  the  green 
coloring  matter,  chlorophyll,  in  little  cells  under  the  skin ;  for  they 
are  mostly  leafless  plants.  They  are  armed  with  every  conceivable 
kind  of  big  and  little  spines  or  thorns  to  protect  themselves  from 
animals,  and  the  skin  is  thickened  and  has  but  few  pores  to  prevent 
the  evaporation  of  moisture  which  the  plant  hoards  within  itself. 

In  California  the  Cactus  flourishes  in  common  with  the  rest  of 
the  Mexican  element  of  plant  types,  growing  in  what  is  known  as 
the  Sonoran  life  zone.  This  Sonoran  zone  comes  up  from  the 
Mexican  deserts  in  two  belts.  The  upper  Sonoran  zone  comprises 
our  chaparral  belt  of  the  foothill  regions  and  the  lower  zone  com- 
poses the  desert  regions  of  the  south  and  extends  up  through  the 
low  plains  of  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  Valleys. 

It  is  in  the  short  season  of  spring  on  the  desert  that  the  odd 
forms  of  Cacti  suddenly  bear  flowers  of  surprising  beauty  in  varying 
shades  of  white,  pink,  red,  yellow,  and  sometimes  tinged  with 
green.  One  plant,  Opuntia  ramosissima,  which  is  seldom  seen,  has 
a  small  brown  flower,  which  is  an  unusual  color  for  flora.  Some 
of  these  flowers  open  only  during  the  day,  others  at  night.  They 
have  various  arrangements  with  insects  for  cross  pollenization,  for 
some  depend  upon  night-flying  moths,  while  others  lure  the  honey 
bees  or  are  content  with  the  attention  of  flies. 

There  are  many  plants  of  the  desert  region  which  are  popu- 
larly known  as  Cactus,  but  have  no  relation  to  that  family.  The 
requirements  of  the  region  have  given  them  somewhat  similar  habits 
of  thickened,  leaf-like  stems  protected  with  many  sharp  thorns. 
Among  these,  the  Agaves,  akin  to  the  Century  Plants  of  our  gar- 
dens, may  be  found  in  three  varieties  on  the  desert.  They  are 
members  of  the  Amaryllis  Family  and  are  related  to  the  lilies,  as 
also  are  the  Yuccas  and  strange  Joshua  Trees. 

The  curious  forms  of  Cacti  give  to  the  Land  of  Little  Rain  an 
appearance  which  is  peculiarly  fascinating.  Their  gorgeous  color 
display  of  large  and  showy  blooms  is  enhanced  perhaps  by  the  lack 
of  foliage.  This  sudden  flash  of  ephemeral  beauty  is  but  a  promise 
to  the  desert  people  of  the  rich  harvest  to  come  with  the  abundance 


65 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

of  its  ripened  fruit.  The  Cactus  has  a  character  wholly  different 
from  its  exterior  appearance,  and  the  Indians  performed  ancient 
ceremonies  to  honor  the  Good  Spirit  of  certain  kinds  at  the  season 
of  their  harvest.  The  fruit  of  these  plants  was  always  a  staple 
food  with  the  Indians  and  is  much  used  at  the  present  time  by  Mexi- 
can peons.  The  fruits  called  Tunas  are  the  ones  most  used,  and 
are  usually  pulpy  and  quite  sweet,  but  contain  many  small,  hard 
seeds,  which  were  also  used  by  Indians,  being  ground  into  a  meal 
and  cooked  as  a  mush. 

The  Cacti  not  only  supplied  food  to  the  desert  people,  but  were 
famous  as  a  water  supply  in  those  arid  regions ;  and  at  least  three 
varieties  (Echinocactus  cylindracus,  etc.)  are  known  as  bisnagas 
or  vegetable  water  barrels.  These  barrel-like  plants  have  a  pulpy 
interior,  which,  when  macerated,  yields  a  quart  or  more  of  refresh- 
ing, acid-like  liquor,  which  has  saved  the  lives  of  many  wanderers 
in  that  lonely  land.  The  half  wild  horses  of  the  desert  regions 
knew  this  secret  and  would  kick  these  fiercely  barbed  melons  to 
pieces  to  obtain  the  pulpy  mass  of  the  interior,  which  was  both  food 
and  drink  to  them.  This  species  (although  it  is  not  the  most  im- 
portant of  the  genera  by  any  means)  plays  many  parts  in  the  life 
of  the  desert.  It  formed  the  favorite  cooking  utensil  of  desert 
Indians,  who  hollowed  out  the  large,  cylindrical  plants,  in  which 
they  cooked  with  the  aid  of  hot  stones  and  water,  if  it  could  be 
obtained,  or  with  the  cactus  liquid,  the  various  cacti  seeds  which 
they  had  ground  into  a  meal  and  which  was  often  a  staple  article 
of  diet  with  them.  The  pulp  of  this  cactus,  which  resembles  green 
watermelon,  now  furnishes  the  basis  of  the  famous  cactus  candy,  a 
favorite  confection  of  the  southland.  In  bloom,  the  Barrel  Cactus 
(Echinocactus}  is  crowned  with  a  circlet  of  pretty  greenish  yellow 
(or  sometimes  reddish  green),  cup-shaped  flowers,  which  have 
found  for  them  a  common  name  of  "Turk's  Head"  or  "Turban 
Cactus." 

There  are  still  remnants  of  the  ancient  cactus  hedges  which 
were  planted  around  the  old  missions  by  the  Franciscan  Friars  for 
protection  from  the  hostile  Indians.  Perhaps  the  good  Friars 
learned  this  excellent  usage  from  certain  small  denizens  of  the 
desert,  who  gather  the  fallen  prickly  joints  of  some  of  the  Opuntia 
species  to  form  a  barricade  around  their  burrows  to  discourage 
snakes,  wildcats,  coyotes  and  other  enemies. 

The  jointed  Cactus  (Opuntia)  is  the  largest  group  of  the  plant 
family  to  be  found  in  the  State  and  numbers  about  twenty  species 
growing  from  the  sea  coast  inland  through  the  southland  and  north- 
ward along  the  eastern  Sierras  into  Oregon.  There  are  two  kinds, 
most  commonly  distinguished  as  the  Nopal  or  Tuna,  which  has 
flattened,  leaf-like  joints,  and- the  Cholla  (pronounced  choy'a),  which 
has  cylindrical  joints,  and  fruit  which  is  seldom  used,  because  of 
the  unpleasant  taste.  The  next  in  number  are  the  globe-shaped  and 
vertically  ribbed  Indian  Melons  (Echinocactus),  which  have  about 
seven  species  from  the  coast  to  the  interior.  The  name  Echino  is 
Latin  and  is  derived  from  the  Greek,  meaning  a  prickly  thing  like 
a  hedgehog  or  sea  urchin.  The  word  Cactus  is  also  from  the  Greek 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  67 

K act os,  meaning  a  prickly  plant.  The  word  Echino  is  sometimes 
combined  with  Cereus  to  designate  a  species  closely  related  to  the 
Cereus  type  of  cacti.  There  are  about  six  species  of  Cereus  to  be 
found  in  the  same  range  as  the  others.  The  name  is  Latin  for 
"Candlestick"  from  the  resemblance  of  one  of  the  members  to  the 
columnar  form  of  a  wax  candle.  Some  of  the  Cereus  forms  were 
highly  prized  for  their  fruit,  and  all  bear  handsome  flowers,  which 
might  be  expected,  as  they  are  closely  related  to  the  widely  known 
and  esteemed  Night  Blooming  Cereus.  The  small  Bird's-nest  Cacti 
(Mamillaria)  are  limited  to  about  four  species  of  small  oval  or 
cylindrical,  spine-bearing  plants,  which  are  recognized  by  their 
appearance,  which  gives  them  their  scientific  name  and  also  a  com- 
mon one.  Mamillaria  is  well  translated  by  the  English  "Nipple 
Cactus,"  because  of  the  protruding  little  nipples  which  cluster  on 
the  plant. 

The  many  kinds  of  cacti  are  interesting  aside  from  their  beau- 
tiful flowers  and  economic  uses,  because  of  the  abundance  of  bird 
life  which  they  sustain.  They  are  the  refuge  of  many  birds  and 
small  animals  from  that  evil  spirit,  the  coyote,  and  other  foes.  They 
furnish  food  and  are  the  water  reservoirs  of  the  desert,  so  we  may 
excuse  these  good  plants  for  their  forbidding  appearance  and  learn 
to  know  them  as  they  truly  are, — one  of  Nature's  most  instructive 
and  useful  flowering  plants. 

A  Cactus  is  figured  as  a  part  of  the  Mexican  coat-of-arms  and 
has  an  important  place  in  the  legend  of  the  founding' of  the  capital, 
Mexico  City,  by  the  ancient  Aztecs,  who  were  told  by  their  sooth- 
sayer to  seek  for  a  place  where  an  eagle,  a  snake  and  a  cactus  were 
to  be  found,  and  there  they  established  themselves. 


68 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Western  Azalea  (Rhododendron  occidentale) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  69 

The  Western  Azalea,  Rhododendron  occidentals  Gray 

By  Roland  Rice 

The  Western  Azalea  grows  along  stream  borders  and  the  edges 
of  meadows  and  woodlands  in  many  sections  of  the  Coast  Range 
and  in  the  Sierras.  Unlike  its  more  colorful  relative,  the  Rhodo- 
dendron or  Rose  Bay,  it  is  delightfully  fragrant;  the  spices  and 
perfumes  of  the  Orient  and  Arabia  can  never  be  as  sweet  to  a  Cali- 
fornian.  Its  perfume  lingers  in  one's  memory  forever  as  a  pleasing 
"nepenthe"  of  vacation  days,  reminiscent  of  pleasant  places,  mossy 
boulders,  the  calm  pools  and  foaming  riffles  of  trout-haunted 
streams,  and  these  fragrant  shrubs,  with  their  glorious  buff  and 
white  blossoms  massed  amid  the  rich  green  foliage.  The  banks  of 
towering  trees  and  wooded  hills  form  a  wonderful  background  for 
these  beautiful  flowers. 

The  Azalea-blossomed  banks  of  the  upper  San  Lorenzo  River, 
with  its  trout,  is  one  of  the  best  remembered  pictures  of  my  child- 
hood. Although  I  visited  those  regions  but  infrequently,  the  cool 
glory  of  their  fragrant,  flowery  banks  is  indelibly  impressed  upon 
my  memory.  Mountain  lovers  always  cherish  such  visions  of 
loveliness,  and  John  Muir,  in  his  book  "My  First  Summer  in  the 
Sierras,"  records  his  delight  in  these  bushes.  "The  Western  Azalea, 
R.  occidentale,"  he  writes,  "is  very  showy  and  fragrant  and  every- 
body must  like  it,  not  only  for  itself,  but  for  the  shady  alders  and 
willows,  ferny  meadows  and  living  water  associated  with  it."  These 
lovely  flowers  are  a  common  sight  in  the  Yosemite  during  the  sum- 
mer months.  Visitors  to  that  great  playground  of  the  Sierras  will 
find  Azalea  thickets  offering  incense  from  the  abundant  blooms  like 
a  dream  of  the  tropics. 

A  botanist  who  frequents  Mt.  Tamalpais  has  stated  that  Azaleas 
may  be  found  in  bloom  on  some  favored  slope  of  that  region  during 
any  month  of  the  year.  Such  cases  are  an  exception.  In  the  Bay 
Regions  the  pale-flowered  Azaleas  are  found  in  the  shady  depths  of 
the  canons ;  while  on  sunny  slopes,  a  pink-flowered  variety  may  be 
seen.  Their  blossoms  are  somewhat  funnel-shaped  and  are  two  or 
three  inches  long,  with  one  of  the  spreading  lobes  having  a  blotch 
or  stripe  of  color,  which  is  variously  described  as  buff,  yellow, 
salmon,  apricot,  or  sulphur-colored,  and  occasionally  pink.  The 
colors  vary  slightly  according  to  locality.  The  loosely  branching 
shrubs  are  from  two  to  twelve  feet  tall ;  the  leaves  are  a  smooth, 
rich  green,  about  four  inches  long,  with  sharply  pointed  tips,  and 
cluster  on  the  ends  of  the  twigs  with  the  splendid  flowers,  whose 
profusion  of  bloom  frequently  all  but  screens  the  foliage.  When 
the  light  frosts  of  autumn  touch  the  deciduous  leaves,  a  later  glory 
is  added  to  the  Azalea  thickets,  by  their  tints  of  flaming  scarlet  and 
crimson.  But  this  "glory  of  the  mountains"  has  its  detractors,  and 
in  common  with  its  close  relative,  the  handsome  Rhododendron,  the 
Azalea  comes  under  the  ban  of  the  bee  keepers.  Cattle  will  not 
eat  the  shrub,  but  sheepmen  have  learned  to  fear  its  poison.  John 
Muir  wrote  that  sheepmen  had  a  different  name  for  these  bushes; 


70  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

they  called  them  "sheep-poison"  and  wondered  "what  the  Creator 
was  thinking  of  when  he  made  them,"  and  John  Muir  adds,  "so 
desperately  does  sheep  business  blind  and  degrade,  though  supposed 
to  have  a  refining  influence."  Poisonous  characteristics  are  all  too 
common  with  Azalea  or  Rhododendrons ;  its  relative,  R.  chrysan- 
t hum,  of  Siberia,  contains  one  of  the  most  active  narcotics  known. 

In  some  parts  of  the  State,  and  more  particularly  in  Oregon, 
the  flowers  are  erroneously  called  honeysuckle;  but  they  are  not 
related  to  that  plant.  The  flowers  are  loved  by  bees  and  they  depend 
largely  upon  these  insects  for  fertilization.  Modern  scientists  are 
prone  to  scout  the  centuries-old  belief  (which  lingers  even  today), 
that  disastrous  effects  are  apt  to  follow  the  eating  of  honey  gathered 
by  bees  from  these  flowers.  Certainly  we  have  not  heard  of  such 
fatalities  in  California,  but  they  are  not  popular  with  bee  men. 

The  lovely  Azalea,  which  seems  to  be  a  water-loving  plant  in 
our  State,  was  so  named  by  the  Greeks,  because  it  was  supposed  to 
prefer  dry  ground,  and  the  name  translated  indicates  dryness. 
However,  its  specific  name  occidental  means  western,  and  our 
Western  Azalea  haunts  the  moist  regions  and  stream  banks  of  our 
mountains. 

The  Azalea  is  classed  as  a  Rhododendron  with  most  botanists, 
and  so  California  has  two  Rhododendrons,  Rhododendron  occi- 
dentale, which  is  our  Western  Azalea,  and  Rhododendron  califor- 
nica,  the  Rose  Bay.  Some  botanists  place  the  Azalea  in  a  separate 
genus  because  its  leaves  are  deciduous,  while  Rhododendron,  or 
Rose  Bay,  are  evergreen;  but  in  spite  of  the  noticeable  difference 
in  the  plant  and  its  blossoms,  the  botanic  distinctions  are  difficult 
to  establish. 

These  handsome  and  ornamental  shrubs  suffer  greatly  from 
rough  handling,  and  motorists  and  campers  have  greatly  retarded 
their  growth  and  attractive  appearance  in  many  localities.  Only  a 
few  members  of  the  Heath  Family,  to  which  these  plants  belong, 
have  any  important  economic  values,  but  they  are  among  the  most 
interesting  and  delightful  of  growing  things  to  Nature  lovers.  In 
the  language  of  flowers,  the  Azalea  represents  Temperance. 


"The  old  woods — how  I  have  loved  it!  The  sweetest  memo- 
ries of  life  are  entwined  back  there  among  the  grasses  and  the 
grapevines  and  oaks  and  beeches.  Its  beauty  and  silence  and  the 
wild  life  in  it  were  the  unsolved  mystery,  of  boyhood,  and  its  deeper 
study  in  later  years  has  been  a  very  great  delight  and  inspiration. 
I  think  I  gain,  by  familiarity  with  its  life,  something  of  its  vitality, 
at  least  in  spirit.  The  long  vistas  of  the  great  trees,  the  sunshine 
mottling  the  leaves  and  filling  the  open  spaces  beneath  with  beau- 
tiful light,  the  immeasurable  canopy  and  the  shade,  the  birds  singing 
their  loves  and  their  joys,  the  squirrels  frisking  among  the  acorns, 
and  the  atmosphere  of  age  which  pervades  it,  all  have  filled  my  mind 
with  never-to-be-forgotten  impressions  of  the  beauty  and  loveliness 
of  the  old  vvoods,  and  a  memory  abides  that  is  a  perpetual  dream."  - 
HUSTON. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  71 


Rose  Bay  (Rhododendron  calif  ornicum) 


72 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

Rhododendron  or  Rose  Bay  (R.  calif  or  nicum) 

By  Roland  Rice 

The  Rhododendron  or  Rose  Bay  is  a  native  of  the  Redwood 
belt  and  is  found  in  the  Coast  Mountains  from  Santa  Cruz  County 
northward  into  Oregon  and  Washington,  where  it  has  been  honored 
as  the  State  flower.  It  seems  to  prefer  the  rugged  mountainsides, 
where  its  shrubs,  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high,  often  form  dense 
thickets  of  magnificent  colorful  bloom.  The  evergreen  leaves  are 
from  three  to  ten  inches  long,  and  are  a  smooth,  rich  green,  but  not 
shiny.  These  decorative  leaves  spread  out  around  the  base  of  the 
flower  clusters  in  such  a  way  as  to  set  them  off  to  advantage.  The 
flowers  are  over  two  inches  across  and  are  usually  set  in  clusters  of 
five  or  six.  The  beautifully  shaded  pink  petals  are  speckled  on  the 
upper  side,  with  green  or  gold-brown  spots  and  strange  arrowhead 
markings.  The  blossoms  are  lacking  in  perfume,  but  the  leaves  are 
pleasantly  fragrant.  The  sight  of  these  glowing  masses  of  gorgeous 
bloom  is  worth  going  far  to  see.  John  Muir,  in  his  famous  essay, 
"Bee  Pastures,"  says:  "To  the  northward,  in  Humboldt  and  adja- 
cent counties,  whole  hillsides  are  covered  with  Rhododendrons, 
making  a  glorious  melody  of  bee-bloom  in  the  spring;  and  the 
Western  Azalea,  hardly  less  flowery,  grows  in  massy  thickets  from 
three  to  eight  feet  high  around  the  edges  of  groves  and  woods  as 
far  south  as  San  Luis  Obispo." 

A  belief  that  Rhododendrons  furnished  bees  with  a  poisonous 
nectar  for  their  honey  seems  not  to  have  been  taken  into  considera- 
tion by  Muir.  Such  a  tradition  has  been  handed  down  from  the 
days  in  ancient  history,  when  Xenophon  wrote  of  the  retreat  of  the 
ten  thousand,  saying:  "The  camp  soon  looked  like  a  battlefield 
covered  with  the  slain,  where  the  men  fell  stupefied  from  the  effects 
of  wild  honey  gathered  by  bees  from  Rhododendrons."  The  com- 
mon evergreen  shrub  of  Europe,  Rhododendron  ponticum,  is  said 
to  have  been  the  plant,  but  there  is  a  difference  of  opinions ;  some 
believe  that  Azalea  ponticum  was  the  source  of  the  trouble,  for 
similar  effects  from  honey  poison  occurred  in  places  where  the  true 
Rhododendron  did  not  grow.  Perhaps  the  ancients  were  speaking 
of  a  different  plant.  The  name  Rhododendron,  meaning  rose-tree, 
was  used  in  classic  times  to  designate  the  oleander. 

Most  botanists  place  the  Rhododendron  and  Azalea  in  the  same 
genus.  There  are  several  members  of  this  interesting  group  in 
North  America.  It  is  quite  a  large  family  and  many  of  its  members 
are  found  in  Asia  and  in  tropical  countries,  where,  as  in  Java,  they 
are  confined  to  the  highlands.  Some  are  epiphytic  in  character, 
growing  on  trees  like  mistletoe ;  these  grow  in  the  tropic  islands  of 
the  East  Indies.  Several  varieties  are  found  in  the  hilly  regions 
of  China,  Japan,  and  the  Malay  Peninsula.  The  largest  is  a  good- 
sized  tree  growing  on  the  lower  slopes  of  the  lofty  Himalayas  in 
India.  It  is  used  for  lumber. 

The  California  Rose  Bay  is  highly  prized  in  Europe.  It  has 
been  hybridized  with  the  Himalayan  and  other  species,  and  a  variety 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  73 

of  gorgeous  colors  have  been  produced.  It  .seems  strange  that  the 
flower  has  not  been  more  extensively  cultivated  in  our  own  land, 
for  it  is  a  very  handsome  and  decorative  shrub. 

When  it  is  ''Rhododendron  time"  in  Golden  Gate  Park,  San 
Francisco,  it  is  said  that  John  McLaren,  the  superintendent  of  this 
world-famous  park,  feels  uneasy,  and  has  policemen  guard  the 
flowers  day  and  night,  past  experience  having  taught  the  necessity 
of  this  precaution.  These  celebrated  gardens  are  the  pride  of  San 
Francisco  and  the  great  delight  of  all  who  visit  the  city  by  the 
Golden  Gate.  Many  rare  hybrids  of  great  .beauty,  as  well  as  our 
exquisite  native  Rhododendrons,  are  found  growing  side  by  side 
under  the  watchful  care  of  the  park's  wizard — a  widely  known  and 
justly  famed  Scotch  gentleman. 

Our  Rose  Bay,  the  Rhododendron  californiciim,  seems  to  be 
irresistible  to  those  who  see  it  in  bloom  for  the  first  time ;  and  in  some 
sections,  notably  about  Mt.  Tamalpais,  the  exquisite  flowers  of  this 
shrub  have  been  nearly  exterminated  by  those  who  evidently  think 
that  to  loot  and  plunder  nature's  gardens  is  a  proper  thing  to  do, 
forgetting  that  other  people  have  the  same  right  to  enjoy  the  beauties 
of  the  out-of-doors. 

•  Emerson,  the  "Sage  of  Concord,"  wrote  one  of  his  finest  poems 
about  a  close  relative  of  our  Rhododendron,  the  "Rhodora,"  of 
Massachusetts,  and  his  lines  might  as  easily  be  applied  to  our 
flower : 

"Rhodora!  if  the  sages  ask  thee  zvhy 
This  charm  is  wasted  on  the  earth  and  sky, 
Tell  them,  dear,  if  eyes  were  made  for  seeing, 
Then  beauty  is  its  own  excuse  for  being." 

The  Rhodora  is  called  "Emerson's  Flower." 

Rhododendrons  first  attracted  wide  attention  in  America  at  the 
Centennial  Exposition  in  Philadelphia,  where  fine  exhibits  were 
made.  It  is  difficult  for  some  people  to  believe  that  our  beautiful 
bloom  is  really  a  native  wilding.  It  is  more  like  the  triumph  of 
hot-house  cultivation.  Rhododendron,  in  the  ancient  language  of 
flowers,  meant  danger — beware. 


74  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


The  Blazing  Star  (Mentzelia  Laevicaulis) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  75 

"Therefore  all  seasons  shall  be  sweet  to  thee." — COLERIDGE. 
Blazing  Star,  Mentzelia  laevicaulis  (Loasa  Family) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

After  "Wild-Flower  Time,"  those  fragrant,  colorful  days  of 
the  springtime  have  departed,  and  are  replaced  by  the  warm  brown 
tones  of  summer,  our  California  fields  and  hillsides  assume  a  drearier 
aspect  to  those  unfamiliar  with  these  seasonal  changes.  The  East- 
ern and  Middle  Western  people  are  apt  to  associate  the  good  old 
summertime  with  flower-starred  meadows,  watered  by  happy 
streams,  where  pond  lilies  dream  and  blue-flags  challenge ;  where 
cattle  stand  knee  deep  in  waving  grasses  or  contentedly  chew  cuds 
amid  bordering  fragrant  woodlands. 

The  disappointed  Easterner  looks  with  disapproval  upon  our 
straw-colored  fields  and  sun-scorched  hills,  devoid  of  that  summer- 
time color  and  rain-washed  freshness  characteristic  of  his  territory. 
But  Californians  love  it.  The  exuberance  of  colorful  charm  and 
infinite  variety  has  been  theirs  in  abundance  during  that  season 
which  transformed  the  whole  of  California  into  a  rich  and  flowery 
wilderness.  Then  the  desert  "blossomed  as  the  rose" ;  then  colors 
ran  riot  everywhere,  from  the  seas  of  blossoming  orchards  to  the 
outlying  districts,  massed  with  wild  flowers  in  such  profusion  that, 
familiar  as  they  are  to  dwellers  by  this  sea  coast,  yet  so  dazzle  and 
bewilder  the  stranger  as  to  make  him  wellnigh  incredulous,  at 
times,  as  to  whether  these  gardens  are  really  of  Nature's  planting. 
It  is  not  that  one  ever  tires  of  this  dreamful,  splendid  beauty;  but 
as  long  dwellers  in  the  land,  Californians  have  learned  to  know  and 
love  the  rich  and  varied  charms  of  her  seasonal  changes.  It  is  not 
always  springtime ;  mellow  tones  hint  of  harvest  days  to  come,  and 
likewise  veil  much  loveliness  and  happy  surprises  of  canons  and 
woodlands.  Wee-flowering,  dainty  things  spring  up  by  dusty  road- 
sides, spray  through  tall,  dry  grasses,  and  crop  out  unexpectedly 
from  the  large  waste  places. 

It  is  in  summer,  when  most  flowers  have  disappeared,  that  the 
Blazing  Star,  Mentzelia  laevicaulis,  suddenly  blooms  with  a  bril- 
liancy and  beauty  that  is  amazing  when  first  seen.  Its  appearance 
justifies  its  name.  The  blooms  are  star-shaped,  of  a  pale,  clear 
yellow,  with  multitudes  of  long,  soft-colored  stamens,  radiating  from 
the  center  like  beams  of  starlight,  and  producing  a  strangely  beau- 
tiful effect.  These  plants  haunt  dry  stream  beds  and  sandy  borders, 
and  have  a  gray  appearance  before  blooming,  blending  well  with 
their  surroundings.  They  are  rather  tall,  branching  plants,  with 
pale,  shining,  brittle  stems ;  and  it  is  astonishing  to  discover,  some 
day,  magnificent  flowers  crowning  their  lifeless-looking  branches. 
The  blossoms  are  from  three  to  five  inches  across,  and  their  loveli- 
ness is  one  of  Nature's  compensations  for  our  long,  dry  summers. 

There  are  at  least  eight  species  of  Mentzelia  in  California ;  some 
are  smaller  and  inconspicuous,  but  all  have  the  same  general  appear- 
ance. They  belong  to  the  small  and  rather  aristocratic  Loasa 


76  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

Family.  The  Mentzelias  were  named  for  Dr.  C.  Mentzel,  a  German 
botanist  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  specific  name  of  M.  laevi- 
caulis  means  smooth-stemmed.  It  is  a  biennial  plant  and  blooms 
only  during  daylight  hours,  blossoming  earlier  in  the  southland, 
where  it  is  of  quite  frequent  occurrence  in  dry  washes  and  the 
interior  valleys  and  canons  of  that  section.  Farther  north,  it  may 
be  found  blooming  in  dry,  gravelly  stream-beds,  throughout  the 
Coast  Ranges  and  Sierra  Nevada  foothills,  from  July  until  Sep- 
tember. Its  golden  blossoms  are  open  all  day,  but  close  at  eventide. 

Mentzelia  lindleyi,  the  Evening  Star,  is  a  slender  annual,  quite 
similar  and  possibly  handsomer  in  appearance,  but  is  one  of  the 
vespertine  flowers,  so  called  because  they  bloom  at  vesper  time. 
From  sunset  until  sunrise,  night-flying  moths  may  flit  from  its  deli- 
cately silken,  golden  blooms.  Its  sharply  tipped  petals  are  a  more 
golden  yellow  than  those  of  M.  laevicaulis,  and  are  stained  with 
vermilion  at  their  base.  They  have  a  more  limited  range,  but  are 
found  in  May  and  June  in  the  inner  Coast  Ranges  of  the  Bay  Region. 

The  Spanish-Calif ornians  called  the  plant  "buena  mujer"  (good 
woman),  because  its  leaves  are  barbed  with  little  hooked  bristles 
which  cling  tightly  to  one.  The  name  of  "stick-leaf"  is  sometimes 
used  by  Americans.  Rough  or  stinging  hairs  are  characteristic 
features  of  the  Loasa  Family,  of  which  we  have  three  genera  in 
California.  The  family  name,  Loasa,  is  apparently  from  a  native 
name  for  a  South  American  species.  But  the  Mentzelias  are  all 
Western  flowers.  We  have  two  other  genera  listed  as  having  one 
species  each,  Eucnide  urens  and  Petalonyx  thurberi,  natives  of  the 
southeastern  desert  and  its  borders. 

For  some  reason,  Blazing  Stars  are  not  as  plentiful  now  as  in 
the  past,  and  from  many  localities  there  are  complaints  from  nature 
lovers  that  they  cannot  find  these  blossoms. 


"To  the  attentive  eye,  each  moment  of  the  year  has  its  own 
beauty,  and  in  the  same  Held,  it  beholds,  every  hour,  a  picture  which 
was  never  seen  before,  and  which  shall  never  be  seen  again!' — 
EMERSON. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


77 


The  Clematis  ( Ranunculaceae ) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

Gracefully,  gayly,  the  wild  Clem- 
atis climbs  and  drapes  and  embow- 
ers its  lovely  way  among  the  wild 
gardens  of  the  Coast  Range  and 
Sierra  Nevada  foothills,  swinging 
its  gladsome  sprays  in  careless 
abandon  from  the  low  branches  of 
trees  or  tall  shrubbery  where  it  has 
persistently  entwined  itself.  Its 
fleecy  clusters  of  rich,  creamy  or 
ecru-tinted  flowers  add  a  blithe- 
some note  to  the  landscape.  I  have 
seen  its  velvety  blossoms  massed  in 
such  splendid  profusion  over  em- 
bankments or  underbrush  as  to 
completely  camouflage  the  more 
humble  growing  things  which  had 
enabled  it  to  shoulder  its  way  up  to 
the  sunlight ;  for  this  vine  is  not,  in 
the  proper  sense  of  the  word,  a 
twining  vine ;  climbing  far  more 
correctly  defines  its  nature,  which 
it  does  in  a  curious  fashion,  by 
means  of  its  leaf  stalks.  The  stems 
put  forth  no  tendrils ;  the  leaf  peti- 
oles do  all  the  work.  They  coil 
around  twigs,  branches,  and  what- 
ever else  offers  a  hold  for  their 
resistless  energy. 

Darwin,  who  studied  the  move- 
ments of  plants,  was  especially  in- 
terested in  Clematis,  because  of  its 
sensitive  nature.  He  made  many 
experiments  with  the  vine.  The 
young  shoots  of  the  Clematis  leaf- 
stalks follow  the  course  of  the  sun. 
Darwin  recorded  that  one  such  shoot  revolved,  describing  a  broad 
oval,  in  five  hours  and  thirty  minutes,  and  another  one  in  six  hours 
and  twelve  minutes.  The  leaves  will  fold  over  if  rubbed  on  the 
under  side  and  then  straighten  out  again  in  a  few  hours  if  there  is 
nothing  to  hold  onto.  A  common  name  for  the  plant,  in  Kent, 
England,  was  "crocodiles." 

All  plants  have  their  own  peculiar  ways  of  doing  their  life  work, 
and  aside  from  their  aesthetic  qualities  are  deeply  interesting  to  the 
true  plant  lover  for  these  reasons.  Plants  do  not  always  adapt  them- 
selves with  a  good  grace  to  their  surroundings,  but  endeavor  by 
every  means  in  their  power  to  better  their  conditions  in  life ;  and  so 


CLEMATIS 


78  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

the  Clematis,  in  persistent  fashion,  climbs,  and  reaches,  and  finds 
its  place  in  the  sun,  where,  rejoicing  in  its  success,  it  spreads  forth 
in  the  happy  sunlight  its  many-flowered  panicles  of  creamy  loveliness, 
to  greet  and  cheer  each  passer-by. 

The  vine  is  almost  a  constant  ornament  to  the  woodland ;  unlike 
other  plants  of  its  blossoming  season,  it  is  most  showy  in  the  autumn 
months,  when  its  seeds  are  plumed  with  their  long  silken  sails  ready 
to  go  adventuring.  These  long-tailed  carpels  become  a  beautiful 
silvery  white  as  autumn  advances,  and  clothe  the  vines  with  masses 
of  feathery  plumes,  that  are  conspicuous  at  a  long  distance — against 
a  wooded  background.  The  curious  seed  vessels  often  remain  on 
the  bushes  for  a  long  time.  One  almost  rejoices  to  know  that  some 
day  they  will  sail  away  through  the  fragrant  air ;  for  there  is  an 
appealing  quality  about  this  vine's  persistent  seeking  for  sunlit 
regions  which  causes  one  to  fancy  it  to  be  possessed  of  a  soul  that 
yearns  to  sever  itself  from  its  earthly  moorings — 

"and  then  exhale 

A  little  fragrant  soul  on  the  soft  gale, 
To  float — ah!  whither?" 

The  Clematis  has  many  common  names,  the  more  popular  one 
being  Virgin's  Bower,  given  to  it  by  Gerarde,  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  name  was  given  in  honor 
of  the  Virgin  Mother ;  but  more  probably  the  famous  old  herbalist 
was  alluding  to  Queen  Elizabeth.  He  wrote  of  it  as  "fitting  to  be 
a  bower  for  maidens,"  and  again  as  "worthy  to  be  so  called  by  reason 
of  the  goodly  shadow  which  the  branches  make  with  their  thick 
bushing  and  climbing,  as  also  for  the  beauty  of  their  flowers,  and  the 
pleasant  scent  and  savour  of  the  same."  The  Virgin's  Bower  of 
England  is  closely  related  to  our  Clematis,  and  our  plant  is  more 
frequently  called  by  this  name.  In  some  parts  of  England,  Clematis 
is  called  "tambaca"  and  "smoking-cane,"  while  in  Germany  the  plant 
is  assigned  to  the  evil  one  and  is  called  "devil's  thread."  "Old  Man's 
Beard"  is  a  name  commonly  applied  to  the  vine  at  seed  time.  "Trav- 
eler's Joy,"  another  Old  World  name,  is  frequently  applied  to  our 
California  species,  and  one  does  not  wonder,  for  in  some  localities 
it  billows  and  clambers  over  rocks,  bushes  and  trees  until  whole 
hillsides  are  illuminated  with  its  glory. 

Clematis  is  from  the  ancient  Greek  Klema,  the  name  of  a  twig. 
The  Clematis  belongs  to  the  Ranunculaceae  or  Buttercup  Family, 
sometimes  called  the  Crowfoot  Family.  There  is  much  ancient 
literature  pertaining  to  the  vine.  From  an  early  calendar  of  English 
flowers  this  bit  of  verse  has  been  found  : 

"When  Mary  left  us  here  belowe, 
The  Virgin's  Bower  was  full  in  blowe." 

The  family  name  is  taken  from  the  Latin  word  Ranunculus, 
meaning  a  little  frog,  as  some  species  are  aquatic,  growing  where 
frogs  are  found.  The  Ranunculaceae  is  a  large  family  and  its  mem- 
bers are  scattered  all  over  the  world ;  but  not  commonly  so  in  trop- 
ical regions.  So  varied  in  appearance  are  its  members  that  it  would 
be  difficult  for  the  amateur  to  believe  that  they  were  related  or  even 
nearly  related  species.  All  are  herbs  but  the  Clematis,  which  is  a 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  79 

shrubby  vine  with  weak,  woody  stems.  Among  its  relatives  are  the 
lovely  little  Anemones  or  wind  flowers,  growing  in  mountains  among 
the  Redwoods;  and  the  Meadow  Rues,  graceful  and  delicate  herbs, 
also  growing  in  mountains,  with  leaves  resembling  Maiden  Hair 
Fern ;  the  Mouse  Tail,  frequent  in  alkaline  soils  of  the  great  interior 
valley,  and  elsewhere ;  many  varieties  of  buttercups,  common  every- 
where ;  the  showy  Columbines  and  Larkspurs,  familiar  to  all ;  the 
Wild  Peony,  the  Monk's  Hood,  the  Bane  Berry,  the  Marsh  Marigold, 
Bug  Bane,  and  others. 

Like  numerous  other  members  of  its  family,  the  acrid  juice  of 
the  stems  of  Clematis  have  no  favor  with  stock.  This  is  one  of 
nature's  methods  of  protecting  certain  delicate  plants  from  animals 
by  making  them  unpalatable.  This  same  juice  found  favor  with  the 
Spanish-Californians,  who  used  it  to  make  a  wash  for  dressing 
wounds,  such  as  barbed-wire  cuts  on  animals.  They  called  Clematis 
lignsticifolia  by  name  of  Yerba  de  Chivato.  This  seems  to  be  in 
contradiction  of  the  belief  of  the  plant's  virtues  in  Europe,  where 
the  name  "Beggar's  Vine"  was  applied  to  it,  because  mendicants  used 
it  to  rub  into  cuts  and  sores  to  irritate  and  keep  them  practically 
incurable  in  order  that  they  might  impose  upon  the  charitably 
inclined. 

There  are  a  hundred  or  more  varieties  of  Clematis  scattered 
over  the  northern  hemisphere.  California  has  at  least  four  of  these 
species.  The  Iigiisticifolia  is  the  most  widely  distributed,  and  in 
some  parts  of  the  State  it  has  a  local  name  of  "pepper-vine,"  where 
its  leaves  and  stems  are  chewed  as  a  remedy  for  sore  throat. 

The  more  showy  variety  of  Clematis,  but  somewhat  less  com- 
monly distributed,  is  C.  lasiantha,  not  easily  distinguished  by  the 
amateur  from  the  preceding  variety,  for  both  vines  have  much  beauty 
both  in  flower  and  in  seed.  A  local  name  for  C.  lasiantha,  in  some 
localities,  is  Pipe  Stem.  The  C.  paiiciflora,  frecmently  called  the 
rope  vine,  seems  to  be  peculiar  to  Southern  California,  where  it 
climbs  trees  and  clambers  over  the  scenery  in  true  Clematis  fashion. 
In  an  annotated  list  of  the  wild  flowers  of  California,  prepared  by 
Dr.  P.  B.  Kennedy,  of  the  University  of  California,  in  connection 
with  our  third  annual  State  wild  flower  exhibit,  held  at  the  Fairmont 
Hotel  in  San  Francisco  in  1917,  four  varieties  of  Clematis  are  listed, 
but  the  distribution  of  the  remaining  variety,  C.  verticillaris,  is  not 
given.  The  first  three  varieties,  I  am  pleasantly  acquainted  with, 
but  have  no  information  at  present  regarding  the  fourth  named 
variety. 

Indian  women  were  partial  to  the  trailing  Clematis  vines  and 
twined  its  flowers  in  their  black  hair  and  wreathed  it  about  them  as 
they  chanted  weird  songs  in  their  wild  dances.  In  the  ancient 
language  of  flowers,  Clematis  means  mental  beauty. 


'In  all  places,  then,  and  in  all  seasons, 

Flowers  expand  their  light  and  soul-like  wings; 
Teaching  us,  by  most  persuasive  reasons, 

How  akin  they  are  to  human  things." — LONGFELLOW. 


80 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Floivers 


Bleeding  Heart   (Dicentra  formosa) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 81 

Bleeding  Heart  (Dicentra  formosa) 
By  Roland  Rice 

The  shy  Bleeding  Heart,  Dicentra  formosa,  seems  to  seek  the 
seclusion  of  the  cool,  cloistered  woods,  where  from  the  rich,  moist 
soil  it  lifts  its  slender  little  branches  with  many  pendant  rose-colored, 
heart-shaped  blooms.  Ihe  pale  green  leaves  are  cut  and  lobed  and 
add  much  to  the  delicate  beauty  and  graceful  appearance  of  the 
plant,  which  is  about  two  feet  high.  There  is  no  legend  from  the 
olden  times  concerning  these  flowers,  because  they  have  not  been 
known  to  man  for  long.  But  perhaps  they  would  have  given  Omar 
Khayyam  another  illustration  for  his  fancy  concerning  flowers,  had 
he  known  them.  It  was  he  who  sang : 

"I  sometimes  think  that  never  blozvs  so  red 
The  rose  as  where  some  buried  Caesar  bled." 

Indeed,  when  finding  these  flowers,  one  feels  that  there  must 
be  tales  concerning  them ;  for  the  blooms  are  most  striking  in  ap- 
pearance and  appropriately  named  for  their  heart  shape.  The  simple 
English  translation  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  names  are  quite  descrip- 
tive of  the  blossoms,  but  the  popular  fancy  easily  takes  Bleeding 
Heart  as  the  best  name  for  them.  The  Greek  word  Dicentra  means 
double-spurred,  and  a  Latin  name,  Bicuculla,  which  is  preferred  by 
some  botanists,  means  double-hooded.  The  word  formosa  means 
beautifully  formed.  The  flowers  are  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
long,  in  pendant  rows  upon  the  little  branches,  and  sometimes  make 
quite  a  beautiful  effect  by  their  numbers.  They  grow  in  Marin 
County  and  northward  from  the  Bay  Region,  and  are  to  be  found  in 
the  Sierra  Nevadas  during  April-June. 

There  are  several  other  members  of  the  Fumitory  Family  to  be 
found  growing  in  various  parts  of  the  State.  Some  botanists  have 
classed  these  beautiful  flowering  plants  with  the  Poppy  Family 
because  of  the  similarity  of  the  plan  of  the  flowers,  although  they 
have  not  the  least  similarity  in  outward  appearance.  The  name 
Fumitory  seems  to  be  taken  from  the  characteristics  of  other  species 
which  are  said  to  have  a  smoky  odor,  whence  their  name — Capnoides 
in  Greek,  meaning  "smoke-like,"  which  is  usually  applied  to  the 
types  having  but  one  spur  on  the  flower.  It  is  a  small  family,  though 
widely  distributed  over  North  America  and  Asia.  The  Bleeding 
Heart  of  our  gardens  was  imported  from  the  island  of  Sakhalin 
near  Japan,  and  was  brought  to  this  country  early  in  the  last  century. 
Our  native  Bleeding  Heart,  Dicentra  formosa,  is  much  smaller  than 
its  imported  relative,  but  is  quite  as  beautiful. 

Another  interesting  member  of  the  Bleeding  Heart  Family  is 
the  Golden  Ear  Drops,  Dicentra  chrysantha,  which  grows  on  the 
high,  dry  ridges  of  the  inner  Coast  Ranges  and  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  State.  It  is  not  common,  and  is  one  of  the  few  plants  which 
wait  until  the  hot,  dry  season  is  at  its  height,  when  it  may  be  found 
blooming  in  late  July.  I  have  found  this  kind  growing  amid  the 
chaparral  of  my  hills  as  tall  as  six  feet,  with  pale  green,  fern-like 
foliage,  smooth  stems,  rather  coarse,  and  bearing  softly  shaded  yel- 


82  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

low  flowers  having  a  heavy  narcotic  odor  like  poppies.  Its  heart- 
shaped  blossoms  are  inverted,  not  drooping,  but  erect ;  and  the  spurs 
on  either  side  make  an  easy  landing  place  for  the  bees,  for  they  are 
honey  flowers  and  take  this  particular  season  for  blooming  when 
they  are  more  certain  of  the  attention  of  honey  bees  searching  for 
nectar. 

Dicentra  ochroleiica  Engelm.  is  much  like  the  Golden  Ear  Drops 
in  habits  and  has  a  touch  of  purple  on  the  tips  of  the  inner  petals, 
and  as  its  specific  name,  ochroleuca,  indicates,  it  is  yellowish-white 
in  color. 

The  Steer's  Head,  D.  uniflora  Kell.,  is  an  Alpine  flower  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and  may  be  found  lifting  its  one  little 
flesh-colored  flower  beside  the  receding  snows  during  the  summer. 
It  is  a  tiny  plant  but  a  few  inches  high  and  the  flower  about  half  an 
inch  long.  It  is  sometimes  called  "squirrel's  corn,"  which  is  the 
common  name  of  a  relative  to  this  plant  growing  in  the  Eastern 
States.  These  flowers,  like  the  Bleeding  Heart,  are  apt  to  be 
variable  in  appearance  and  may  sometimes  have  a  white  or  purple 
coloring. 


Wild  Flowers 

'7  knozv  that  I  can  never  be 
So  happy  as  when  I  wandered  free 
With  the  wild  flowers  for  my  company, 
That  elfin  dancer  of  the  wood, 
The  larkspur  in  her  scarlet  hood, 
Her  sister  in  a  bonnet  blue, 
The  baby-eyes  of  heavenly  hue, 
The  jewel-flower,  the  four  o' clocks, 
The  lupines  in  their  purple  smocks, 
The  poppies  in  their  golden  frocks^ 
The  woodland  star  in  polar  white, 
The  sun-cup  with  her  chalice  bright, 
Aye!  even  the  weeds  that  deck  a  clod 
Breathe  tender  loving  thoughts  of  God!' 

— EDITH  ELLERY  PATTON. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


83 


Matilija  Poppy  (Romneya  Coulteri) 


84  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

The  Matilija   Poppy    (Romneya  Coulteri) 
By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

The  most  regally  handsome  poppy  in  the  world  is  the  giant 
white  poppy,  the  stately  Matilija,  Romneya  coulteri,  which  is  native 
to  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  This  blossom  is  a  famous  one 
in  European  gardens,  where  it  was  early  transplanted.  In  its  native 
habitat  it  may  be  found  occasionally  from  Santa  Barbara  south- 
ward into  Lower  California.  It  is  acknowledged  by  those  who 
have  studied  the  flower  to  be  a  plant  of  very  catholic  tastes ;  for 
while  it  evidently  prefers  stream  borders  and  steep,  almost  inacces- 
sible canon  sides,  it  is  also  found  growing  on  open  hillsides,  in  dry 
stream  beds,  or  even  in  the  fertile  valleys.  It  is  not  a  common 
plant,  but  is  probably  more  plentiful  in  the  Ojai  Valley,  Ventura 
County,  and  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  State. 

While  journeying  over  the  Santa  Fe  lines  en  route  to  San 
Diego,  about  three  years  ago,  I  had  my  first  glimpse  of  these  tower- 
ing white  poppies  luxuriating  in  their  native  surroundings.  It  was 
early  morning  and  we  passed  a  field  of  these  beautiful  golden- 
hearted  blossoms  shaking  out  their  great  diaphanous  petals  to  the 
morning  breezes.  It  was  a  glorious  sight  and  I  have  never  for- 
gotten it.  I  do  not  remember  the  locality,  but  it  was  several  hours 
before  our  train  reached  Los  Angeles.  While  in  San  Diego,  with 
my  friend,  Miss  Kate  Sessions,  the  widely  known  and  well-beloved 
botanist,  I  examined  more  closely  some  exceedingly  fine  specimens 
of  the  Romneya.  It  is  a  smooth,  stout,  perennial-rooted  plant, 
somewhat  bushy  in  nature,  and  grows  anywhere  from  two  to  ten 
or  twelve  feet  high,  according  to  the  nature  of  its  habitat.  It  has 
handsome  gray-green  foliage  and  its  wonderful,  fragrant  blossoms 
are  from  three  to  as  many  as  nine  inches  in  diameter.  Its  crepe- 
like  petals  are  a  pure  glistening  white  and  the  greenish-white  pistil 
is  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  closely  packed,  bright  yellow  stamens, 
forming  a  huge  golden  center,  which  sets  off  proportionately  well 
the  enormous  blossoms.  In  Lower  California,  the  plant  is  prized 
by  the  Indians  for  remedial  purposes. 

The  first  scientist  to  discover  this  giant  poppy  was  Dr.  Thomas 
Coulter,  who  after  several  years  of  exploratibn  in  Mexico  came  to 
Monterey,  California,  in  November,  1861.  He  was  the  first  botanist 
to  cross  the  desert  to  the  Colorado  River.  He  remained  in  Cali- 
fornia about  three  years  and  collected  a  thousand  or  more  specimens. 
The  magnificent  white  poppy  he  dedicated  to  his  friend  T.  Romney 
Robinson,  a  noted  Irish  astronomer  of  Armagh  Observatory.  Thus 
we  have  the  genus  Romneya  and  the  species  coulteri,  named  for 
its  discoverer.  Apropos,  at  this  time,  while  speaking  of  Dr.  Coulter's 
poppy,  an  incident  may  be  related  which  I  am  sure  will  be  enjoyed 
by  all  who  are  interested  in  historical  matters  pertaining  to  our  far- 
famed  wild  flowers.  It  concerns  Dr.  Coulter  and  that  indefatigable 
Scotch  explorer,  David  Douglas,  who  was  in  California  at  the  time 
collecting  seeds  for  the  Royal  Horticultural  Gardens  of  England. 
The  two  scientists  met  in  Monterey.  Of  this  meeting,  David  Doug- 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 85 

las  wrote  to  a  friend:  "I  assure  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart, 
Dr.  Hooker,  that  it  is  a  terrible  pleasure  to  meet  a  really  good  man, 
one  with  whom  I  can  talk  on  plants."  It  was  a  happy  accident  that 
brought  together  these  two  enthusiastic  souls,  on  similar  missions 
bent,  in  this  far  wilderness  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  surrounded  as  they 
must  have  been  by  an  unfriendly  people. 

The  Matilija  acquired  its  Indian  name  from  the  canon  of  the 
Matilija  River  in  Ventura  County,  where  it  is  said  to  have  been 
quite  abundant  at  one  time ;  but  since  the  terrible  floods  of  1914,  the 
blossoms  are  seldom  found  in  that  locality. 

There  is  a  pretty  tradition  attached  to  this  wonderful  bloom, 
which  was  incorporated  by  Emory  E.  Smith  in  his  splendid  book, 
"The  Golden  Poppy"  (now  out  of  print).  Mr.  Smith  told  me  quite 
recently  that  the  legend  was  related  to  him  by  an  old  Mexican 
Indian,  near  Santa  Barbara,  about  twenty-seven  years  ago,  and  that, 
being  a  newcomer  to  the  Golden  West,  it  had  interested  him  par- 
ticularly at  the  time  because  these  plants  seemed  to  favor  the  most 
difficult  canon  fastnesses  of  that  region.  According  to  tradition, 
this  great,  snowy  flower  with  its  heart  of  gold"  had  won  from  the 
Spanish  Californians  the  name  of  the  "Love  Flower,"  owing  to  its 
unusual  popularity  with  the  Spanish  senoritas.  The  gallants  of 
those  days  were  wont  to  visit  the  steep  cliffs  in  the  early  spring, 
where  they  might  find  the  earliest  "Love  Flower"  of  the  year.  When 
two  suitors  sought  the  same  maiden's  hand,  and  she  was  unable  to 
decide,  it  was  the  one  who  brought  to  her  the  first  "Love  Flower" 
who  was  accepted.  There  are,  of  course,  tales  of  treacherous  deeds, 
when  contestants  met  on  overhanging  cliffs  in  the  lonely  mountains, 
and  it  is  even  whispered  that  one  spring  a  "Love  Flower"  bloomed 
a  blood-red,  marking  the  spot  where  a  worthy  lover  had  battled 
valiantly  against  great  odds,  but  lost  the  flower  and  his  life.  That 
was  in  the  long  ago,  before  the  "Gringo"  came. 

When  the  Stjite  flower  was  adopted  by  the  California  Legisla- 
ture, in  1903,  the  Matilija  Poppy  was  favored  by  quite  a  few  people; 
but  the  Golden  Poppy  was  chosen  because  it  was  more  widely  dis- 
tributed over  the  State  and  its  color  more  symbolical,  while  the  giant 
white  poppy  (which  belongs  to  the  same  family)  was  restricted  to 
a  few  canons  and  localities  in  the  southland. 

R.  coulteri  was  long  supposed  to  be  the  only  species  of  Rom- 
neya,  but  Miss  Alice  Eastwood  discovered  and  described  another 
variety,  R.  trichocalyx  Eastwood.  The  two  plants  are  very  similar 
in  appearance,  but  a  difference  between  them  is  clearly  recognized 
by  experts  and' the  latter  is  considered  somewhat  handsomer,  being 
the  true  Matilija,  which  once  commonly  inhabited  the  canon  of  that 
name. 

One  often  sees  Matilija  Poppies  growing  under  cultivation,  and 
it  is  somewhat  surprising  to  learn  that  many  people  in  California 
are  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  these  truly  magnificent  blossoms 
belong  to  our  California  wildings. 


86 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Shooting  Stars.     Dodocath^on 
(Primulaceae) 

By  Roland  Rice 

The  Shooting  Star  or  Dodocatheon  seems  to  have  more  popular 
names  than  most  of  the  other  wild  plants ;  it  is  a  great  favorite  with 
children.  The  blossoms  are  unusual  in  appearance  and  catch  the 
imaginative  fancy ;  for  when  Linnaeus  gave  them  the  name  Dodoca- 
theon he  did  so  because  he  fancied  the  group  of  flowers  to  be  an 
assemblage  of  divinities  and  called  them  "Twelve  Gods,"  as  the 
Greek  word  is  translated.  (The  Primrose  Family  is  supposed  to 
be  under  the  care  of  the  deities.)  But  children  seem  to  have  no 
room  for  the  long  Greek  name  in  their  vocabulary  and  so  have 
invented  rather  pert  little  names  to  suit  themselves  (and  incident- 
ally to  suit  the  flowers).  The  most  common  of  these  are  Shooting 
Stars,  Mad  Violets,  Mosquito  Bills,  Sailors'  Capes,  Rooster  Heads, 
•and  Prairie  Pointers.  The  flower  has  also  been  called  American 
Cowslip,  Wild  Cyclamen,  Cupid's  Quiver,  and  various  other  names. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  87 

The  plant  is  related  to  the  cultivated  Cyclamen  of  our  gardens, 
which  it  somewhat  resembles  in  appearance. 

The  plants  are  from  a  few  inches  to  a  foot  and  a  half  tall ;  the 
leaves  are  in  a  tuft  at  the  base,  and  the  four  or  five  smooth  stems 
are  crowned  with  umbels  of  from  five  to  fifteen  flowers.  The  petals 
are  usually  white,  flushed  with  pink,  and  a  band  of  yellow  sets  off 
the  tapering  point  of  violet  or  purple  colored  stamens  and  pistils. 

One  can  easily  catch  the  meaning  of  the  name  "Mad  Violets," 
for  the  flower  is  somewhat  like  a  violet  that  has  laid  its  petals  back 
in  anger.  The  name  of  "Rooster  Heads"  came  with  a  sporting 
game  of  little  boys,  who  hooked  the  flower  heads  together  and  then 
pulled  to  see  which  came  off,  with  as  much  zest  as  though  they  were 
having  a  rooster  fight.  A  rather  unlovely  name  by  which  the  plant 
was  known  to  old  settlers  was  that  of  "Sow's  Bread."  This  may 
be  due  to  the  fact  that  swine  were  fond  of  digging  and  eating  the 
tender  roots.  (The  ancients  called  the  common  Cyclamen  "Sow's 
Head.") 

Shooting  Star  seems  a  pretty  and  poetic  name  for  these  inter- 
esting little  blossoms,  although  Wild  Cyclamen  is  much  in  favor  as 
a  popular  title.  They  are  among  the  earliest  wild  flowers  to  be 
found  in  the  Coast  Range  and  valleys.  The  Dodocatheon  hender- 
soni  is  the  one  most  common  in  the  Bay  Region.  It  blooms  from 
the  middle  of  February  until  late  in  May.  Later  in  the  summer 
season  the  wet  meadows  of  the  high  Sierras  are  colored  with  masses 
of  another  and  larger  species,  Dodocatheon  jeffreyi,  which  is  much 
admired  by  visitors  to  the  Yosemite. 

The  Dodocatheons  are  widely  distributed  in  many  varieties 
over  the  North  American  continent  and  Asia.  There  are  many 
species  named  in  California,  but  botanists  have  found  it  hard  to 
systematize  them  because  there  seem  to  be  no  clean-cut  differences 
between  varying  forms. 

This  flower  is  among  the  few  wild  blooms  recorded  as  having 
appealed  more  particularly  to  the  aesthetic  taste  of  the  Indian 
women,  whose  artistic  natures  were  revealed  in  their  wonderful 
basketry  and  other  rare  handicraft.  The  utilitarian  side  of  plant 
life,  such  as  those  yielding  food,  fiber,  medicines,  soap  and  other 
economic  values,  naturally  were  prized  by  the  wild  people,  as  they 
furnished  them  with  most  of  the  comforts  of  their  nomad  lives. 
The  roots  and  leaves  of  the  Dodocatheon  were  roasted  in  ashes  by 
the  Indian  tribes  of  Mendocino  County  and  considered  a  great 
delicacy.  Medicinal  properties,  also,  I  believe,  were  attributed  to 
the  plant.  But  the  blossoms  are  said  to  have  been  exceedingly 
popular  with  the  squaws  and  were  frequently  used  by  them  for  self- 
adornment,  especially  at  their  dances.  In  the  language  of  flowers, 
Cyclamen  means  diffidence. 


88 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


"And,  oh,  my  heart  has  understood 
The  spider's  fragile  line  of  lace, 
The  common  meed,  the  zvoody  place!" 

— GALE. 


Miner's  Lettuce  (Purslane  Family) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

One  of  the  plants  which  the  miners  in  the  days  of  "Forty-nine" 
learned  to  regard  with  favor  is  the  one  now  known  as  "Miner's 
Lettuce"  (Montia  perfoliata).  It  was  known  as  Squaw's  Cabbage 
or  Indian's  Lettuce  to  those  hardy  pioneers,  who  were  tempted  to 
try  it  as  a  substitute  for  the  more  familiar  cultivated  vegetables 
which  were  not  to  be  had  in  the  wilderness.  It  was  noticed  that 
the  Indians  were  exceedingly  fond  of  these  succulent  plants,  which 
they  used  both  green  as  salads  and  boiled  like  greens  or  spinach. 
The  wild  people  had  one  quaint  way  of  seasoning  these  plants  as 
related  by  Stephen  Powers.  They  gathered  the  tender  stems  and 
leaves  in  quantities  and  placed  them  on  the  red-ant  hills ;  the  ants 
swarmed  over  the  plants,  and  when  the  Indian  was  satisfied  that 
these  insects  had  sufficiently  seasoned  his  salad  with  the  vinegar 
flavor  of  the  formic  acid,  he  shook  them  off. 

Miner's  Lettuce  is  an  annual  plant  from  six  to  twelve  inches 
high.  There  are  probably  a  dozen  varieties  and  one  very  minute 
form.  It  is  variable  in  appearance  and  is  widely  distributed  through- 
out the  State.  It  is  a  member  of  the  Purslane  Family,  closely  re- 
lated to  the  Red  Maids  (one  of  the  popular  spring  flowers)  and 
the  Pussy  Paws  (a  common  plant  in  the  Yosemite  Valley  and  else- 
where in  the  Sierras  at  high  and  low  elevations),  and  is  also  related 
to  the  Spring  Beauty,  several  varieties  of  which  are  to  be  found  in 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  F lowers 89 

.different  sections  of  the  State,  such  as  the  Claytonia  lanceolaia,  in 
the  Alpine  regions  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  which  some- 
what resembles  and  is  closely  related  to  the  popular  Eastern  Spring 
Beauty  (Claytonia  virginica)  and  Claytonia  umbellata,  which  grows 
in  the  desert  mountains  of  Northeastern  California ;  also  the  large- 
flowered  Claytonia  mibigena,  to  be  found  on  Mount  Diablo  and  in 
Marin  County. 

The  several  species  of  Montia,  Claytonia,  and  several  other 
flowers  are  so  variously  treated  by  the  different  authors  that  it  has 
caused  much  confusion  in  the  literature  concerning  them.  But  they 
are  all  members  of  the  Purslane  Family  or  Portulacaceae,  of  which 
the  common  "Pusley,"  Portulaca  oleracea,  is  the  type.  This  weed, 
common  in  gardens,  was  first  introduced  from  Europe.  One  member 
of  the  family,  commonly  known  as  "Bitter-root,"  Lewisia  rediviva, 
is  the  State  flower  of  Montana  (and  after  which  the  Bitter  Root 
Mountains  were  named).  Their  large,  handsome,  rose-colored 
flowers,  often  two  inches  across,  are  frequently  found  in  the  eastern 
Sierras  and  only  occasionally  on  the  high  peaks  of  our  Coast  Ranges. 
It  grows  in  sterile,  rocky  soil  and  has  very  scanty  leafage,  but  its 
stout  roots  were  formerly  relished  by  Indians  for  food.  In  California 
this  plant  is  more  commonly  called  by  its  scientific  name,  "Lewisia," 
which  was  bestowed  in  honor  of  Captain  M.  Lewis,  of  the  Lewis 
and  Clark  Expedition,  and  was  first  collected  and  described  on  their 
memorable  trip. across  the  continent  in  1803-06. 

A  striking  and  attractive  feature  of  our  interesting  little  plant, 
the  Miner's  Lettuce,  is  furnished  by  the  two-stemmed  leaves,  which 
unite  directly  under  the  blossoms,  forming  a  perfect  saucer  in  shape ; 
in  fact,  I  have  known  children  to  call  them  the  "saucer  flowers." 
These  leaves  and  the  stems  are  richly  tinted  with  bronzed-green  and 
reddish  hues.  The  little  flowers  are  ordinarily  white,  but  sometimes 
have  a  pinkish-yellow  cast,  especially  in  dry,  exposed  places,  but  the 
species  is  more  plentifully  distributed  in  orchards  and  vineyards, 
where  they  are  companions  of  the  "Red  Maids,"  which  make  a  brief, 
colorful  dance  in  the  early  springtime  and  which  are  members  of 
the  same  family.  It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  to  some  people  to  see 
ho'w  persistently  these  tender,  succulent  little  plants  will  continue  to 
appear  in  cultivated  places  where  they  were  apparently  eradicated. 
The  Miner's  Lettuce  may  be  found  blooming  from  February  until 
July,  not  only  in  the  orchards  and  vineyards,  but  along  the  roadways 
in  the  lower  valleys  and  in  the  open  woods  of  the  mountains. 

These  plants  have  long  been  cultivated  in  many  foreign  coun- 
tries, including  Cuba,  for  salads  and  pot  herbs,  under  the  name  of 
Winter  Purslane. 

Early  settlers  are  wont  to  look  most  kindly  upon  this  plant,  not 
so  much  because  of  its  olden  time  economic  value  to  them,  perhaps, 
as  because  of  its  friendly  ways,  its  familiar  face  like  something 
one  has  always  known ;  and  indeed  it  has  most  companionable  char- 
acteristics as  well  as  dainty,  pretty  blossoms. 


90 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Gum  Plant  (Grindelia) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  91 

Gum  Plant — Grindelia  (Compositae) 

By  Roland  Rice 

As  we  pass  the  humble  Gum-Plant,  beside  the  road,  we  are  apt 
to  pay  but  little  attention  to  its  dust-covered  flowers.  But  when. we 
have  truly  made  the  acquaintance  of  this  useful  wilding,  we  know 
it  to  be  a  very  interesting  member  of  the  plant  world ;  and  were  the 
flowers  not,  as  a  usual  thing,  covered  with  dust,  they  wrould  be  quite 
as  pretty  as  daisies. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  Grindelia  to  be  found  in  the  State, 
but  some  of  the  species  are  rather  difficult  of  determination.  Grin- 
delia is  the  true  name  of  the  Gum-Plant.  The  name  is  in  honor  of 
H.  Grindel,  a  Russian  botanist  who  taught  at  Riga  and  Dorpat  nearly 
a  century  ago.  Grindelias  belong  to  the  large  plant  family  of  the 
Compositae,  of  which  the  sunflower  is  the  representative  type,  and 
which  has  more  than  12,000  members  scattered  throughout  the 
world.  The  Grindelia  has  been  called  the  August  Flower ;  it  blooms 
usually  in  the  late  summer  season,  although  I  have  found  its 
blossoms  in  March. 

The  flowers  are  yellow,  with  conspicuous  rays  about  an  inch 
and  a  half  across,  and  are  mostly  solitary  or  in  few-flowered  clusters 
at  the  end  of  the  leafy  branches  on  the  somewhat  shrubby  plants, 
which  are  as  a  rule  from  two  to  four  feet  tall.  The  common  Gum- 
Plant,  G.  robusta  Nutt.,  is  to  be  found  along  the  coast  as  well  as  in 
the  Coast  Range  and  valleys.  The  salt  marshes  are  sometimes  gay 
during  the  summer  months  with  the  vivid,  yellow  G.  cuneifolia, 
which  is  to  be  found  along  the  coast  and  in  the  interior  Bay  Region. 
The  desert  Gum-Plant,  G.  camporum,  is  found  in  the  San  Joaquin 
Valley  and  south ;  while  the  red-stemmed  Gum-Plant,  G.  rubricaulis, 
prefers  the  high,  dry  ridges  and  hillsides  of  the  Coast  Range.  The 
rest  are  mostly  weedy  or  inconspicuous  desert  plants,  easily  recog- 
nized by  the  flower  buds  exuding  that  peculiar  sticky  white  gum 
which  found  them  the  name  of  "Resin-Weeds"  from  the  early 
settlers. 

These  Gum-Plants  were  an  important  part  of  the  Indians'  medi- 
cine and  are  well  known  in  the  white  man's  drug  store  today.  The 
dried  flower  heads  and  leaves  of  Grindelia  are  gathered  annually  in 
great  quantities  and  tons  of  them  are  shipped  East,  where  they  are 
manufactured  into  the  medicine  usually  known  as  Grindelia,  used  for 
asthma,  bronchitis,  and  other  troubles,  which  is  the  same  purpose  the 
Indians  used  it  for,  and  the  gum  dissolved  in  alcohol  is  used  as  a  cure 
for  Rhus  poisoning  (Poison  Oak)  and  other  skin  troubles. 

Many  valuable  medicines  derived  from  humble  growing  things 
are  a  heritage  from  the  despised  aborigine. 


92  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


<%ass&*M 

" 


Floral  Fire-Cracker  (Brevoortia  idamayi) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  93 

Floral  Fire-Crackers  (Lily  Family) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

One  of  the  oddest  and  most  attractive  blooms  to  be  found  is 
the  Fire-Cracker  flower,  a  member  of  the  lily  family.  It  has  had 
an  interesting  career  at  the  hands  of  the  botanists,  partly  because 
of  the  pretty  sentiment  which  has  clung  to  it  for  more  than  half  a 
century  of  years.  It  was  first  discovered  to  the  botanical  world  by 
Dr.  Alfonso  Wood,  in  1867,  who  believed  the  plant  to  be  of  a  new 
genus.  The  unusual  little  blossom  was  pointed  out  to  him  by  a 
stage  driver  in  the  mountains  of  Trinity  County,  who  explained  to 
the  man  of  science  that,  his  small  daughter  was  so  fond  of  the 
flower  that  they  had  always  called  them  "Ida  May's  Fire-Crackers." 
Dr.  Wood  was  pleased  at  finding  such  an  interesting  new  specimen, 
and  he  bestowed  the  name  of  Brevoortia  ida-maia  upon  the  plant, 
partly  in  honor  of  the  little  girl  and  also  because  it  was  first  gath- 
ered on  the  "ides"  (May  15th).  He  dedicated  the  plant  to  his 
friend  J.  Carson  Brevoort,  of 'Brooklyn,  New  York,  naturalist  and 
patron  of  science.  Later  botanists  placed  the  plant  in  the  genus 
Brodiaea,  changing  its  name  to  "Brodiaea  coccinea  Gray,"  and  this 
prosaic  title  bids  fair  to  all  but  erase  a  fine  bit  of  sentiment  which 
might  brighten  scientific  discussions  of  our  beautiful  native  plants. 

The  flowers  hang  in  clusters  of  from  six  to  a  dozen  or  more, 
on  dainty,  grass-like  stems,  from  plants  ranging  from  one  to  three 
feet  high.  They  grow  on  open  wooded  hillsides  and  in  rocky 
canons,  blooming  from  May  until  July.  Their  habitats  range  from 
Mendocino  County  northward  into  Oregon ;  they  are  confined  to  the 
Pacific  Coast,  and  are  more  plentiful  in  Mendocino  and  Humboldt 
Counties.  Floral 'Fire-Crackers  are  not  common,  and  because  of 
their  great  attraction  they  have  been  practically  exterminated  in 
certain  localities  where  they  formerly  bloomed.  The  plant  presents 
an  unusually  quaint  appearance,  so  strangely  like  small  Chinese  fire- 
crackers are  their  blooms.  The  effect  is  increased  by  their  drooping, 
pendant  position  upon  the  delicate,  leafless  stems.  They  are  bright 
red  in  color,  tubular  in  shape,  about  an  inch  or  more  long,  tipped 
with  pale  green,  and  with  bits  of  yellow  stamens  protruding  from 
the  end. 

The  plant  is  frequently  found  growing  in  gardens  in  Southern 
California.  It  adapts  itself  well  to  cultivation,  but  loses  much,  to 
our  fancy,  from  its  wild  mountain  surroundings,  where  it  furnishes 
ever  a  joyful  surprise  to  those  fortunate  enough  to  chance  upon  it. 

I  was  once  surprised  while  riding  on  the  Mount  Tamalpais  and 
Muir  Woods  Railway  in  Marin  County,  when  glancing  up  at  some 
jagged  rocks  directly  over  my  head,  where  a  gay  bunch  of  floral 
firecrackers  waved  in  triumph,  tantalizingly  removed  from  covetous 
hands.  They  are  said  to  have  been  quite  frequently  found  in  Marin 
County,  in  the  long  ago ;  but  if  so  they  have  wandered  away  from 
the  Tamaplais  regions,  or  were  sacrificed  by  those  whose  love  for 
flowers  reckoned  not  of  others.  Several  botanists  familiar  with 
that  locality  tell  me  that  they  have  never  found  this  flower  on 
Tamalpais. 


94 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Wild  Ginger  (Asarum  caudatum) 

The  specific  names  of  two  of  our  three  species  of  Wild  Ginger, 
A.  hartwegii  Wats,  and  A.  lemmonii  Wats.,  were  conferred  in  honor 
of  two  eminent  scientists ;  the  former,  an  early  explorer  to  the  coast, 
and  the  latter,  J.  G.  Lemmon,  of  Oakland.  Of  the  other  species, 
A.  caudatum  Lindl.,  the  specific  name  caudatum  pertains  to  the 
tail-like  appendages  of  its  blossoms.  It  was  first  described  by 
Lindley. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 95 

Wild  Ginger  (Aristolochiaceae) 

By  Roland  Rice 

Growing  under  the  dim  light  of  the  mighty  Redwood  trees  and 
in  the  cool  places  of  the  forests  of  the  Coast  Range  and  Sierras,  the 
Wild  Ginger  creeps  out  of  the  ground  in  the  late  spring  and  early 
summer  to  unfurl  its  strange  blooms.  It  seems  as  though  Nature 
had  tried  to  camouflage  these  flowers  by  making  them  look  like  big 
spiders  lurking  under  the  large,  beautiful,  heart-shaped  leaves.  The 
leaves  are  a  rich,  dark  green  and  have  a  mottled  appearance. 

Both  the  leaves  and  the  creeping  root  stocks  are  fragrant  and 
spice-like  when  crushed  in  the  hands,  and  so  the  plants  may  be 
recognized  when  the  flowers  are  gone.  They  are  stemless  plants, 
and  the  beautiful  leaves  grow  from  the  root  stock.  The  flower 
buds  spring  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves.  The  name  Wild  Ginger 
was  given  to  the  plants  because  of  their  spice-like  taste  and  fra- 
grance ;  it  is  not  related,  however,  to  the  ginger  of  commerce.  The 
latter  is  a  perennial  reed-like  plant  from  three  to  four  feet  high  and 
has  been  cultivated  in  India  and  China  since  the  beginning  of  his- 
tory. Our  plants,  Asamm  caudatum,  etc.,  are  members  of  the 
Aristolochiaceae  or  Birthroot  family.  The  word  Asamm  is  of 
obscure  and  doubtful  origin,  but  the  family  name,  Aristolochia,  is 
Latin,  and  means  a  plant  useful  in  childbirth.  The  many  plants  of 
this  family  group  are  scattered  throughout  the  world  and  some,  were 
formerly  used  medicinally.  Our  plants  seem  to  have  no  medicinal 
qualities,  but  it  has  been  suggested  that  a  sachet  powder  could  be 
made  from  the  creeping  rootstocks.  Fortunately  this  has  not  been 
done  commercially,  and  we  hope  that  the  'quaint  little  plant  with  its 
beautiful  leaves  and  strange,  spider-like  blooms  will  always  delight 
those  fortunate  in  finding  it  in  the  seclusion  of  the  forest  depths, 
where  it  plays  its  humble  part  in  the  life  of  Nature  and  its  ways. 

There  are  three  species  of  Asamm,  or  Wild  Ginger,  to  be  found 
in  California.  A.  caudatum  Lindl.  grows  in  the  coast  Redwood 
district  from  Monterey  northward.  A.  hartwegii  Wats,  is  found 
in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  and  throughout  the  yellow  pine 
belt  at  four  to  seven  thousand  foot  elevations.  A.  lemmonii  Wats, 
is  a  rare  species  found  growing  near  the  fallen  logs  of  the  giants 
in  the  Merced  Grove  of  the  Big  Trees.  The  flowers  of  the  last  are 
smaller  and  the  leaves  have  a  lighter  coloring  than  the  others.  The 
flowers  of  the  three  species  are  pale  chocolate  or  purplish-brown  in 
color,  and  are  quite  a  novelty. 

Children  have  found  the  delightfully  quaint  phrase,  " Little 
Brown  Jugs,"  appropriate  for  naming  these  blossoms.  The  calyx 
lobes  of  the  blooms  have  three  tail-like  appendages,  which  may  be 
from  one  to  two  and  a  half  inches  long ;  so  the  children's  thimble-like 
"Jugs"  would  have  three  handles. 


96 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


The  False  Solomon's  Seal   (Smilacina  Amplexicaulis) 


(The  true  Solomon's  Seal  does  not  grow  in  California.  The  two  plants 
are  related  and  in  Eastern -States  are  frequently  found  growing  side  by  side 
and  almost  giving  the  impression  of  having  sprung  from  the  same  root.  The 
blossoms  of  the  true  Solomon's  Seal  are  small,  greenish-white,  bell-shaped 
flowers,  nodding  in  pairs  along  the  stem  under  the  leaves.  Its  berries  when 
ripened  are  blue  black;  ivhile  those  of  its  handsomer  cousin,  the  False  Solo- 
mon's Seal,  are  red.) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Floivers       97 

False  Solomon's  Seal    (Smilacina  amplexicaulis) 

By  Roland  Rice 

The  False  Solomon's  Seal  grows  best  in  the  cool  woods  of  the 
mountain  slopes,  where  its  fine  green  leaves  and  plumed  flower 
head  are  often  found.  The  tiny  flowers  have  a  most  elusive,  pleas- 
ant perfume,  and  the  graceful  green  leaves,  set  alternately  on  the 
zigzaggy  slem,  are  very  decorative  and  beautiful.  The  flowers  are 
cream  white  in  color  and  form  a  fitting  termination  to  the  leafy 
stalk,  which  is  usually  about  two  feet  tall. 

There  are  three  varieties  of  Smilacina  to  be  found  in  the  State. 
They  grow  in  very  rich  soil,  sometimes  so  thick  they  hide  the  ground 
from  view.  The  Star  Flowered  .Solomon's  Seal  (Smilacina  sessili- 
folia)  has  few  flowers,  but  larger,  star-shaped,  cream  white,  on  the 
angled  stem,  and  is  found  in  the  shady  woods  of  the  Coast  Range 
mountains.  The  False  Solomon's  Seal  (Smilacina  amplexicaulis) 
is  found  in  the  same  range  and  also  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains. 
One  that  is  found  only  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Truckee  River  is  Smila- 
cina stellata.  The  False  Solomon's  Seal  is  the  most  common  of 
these  plants.  They  belong  to  the  Lily  family,  and  bloom  in  the  early 
spring  from  March  until  late  in  May  or  June. 

The  reason  why  these  plants  are  called  False  Solomon's  Seal 
is  not  quite  plain.  It  is  said  that  the  true  Solomon's  Seal  has  a 
mark  upon  its  roots  like  the  imprint  of  a  seal  upon  wax,  and  that 
this  mark  is  lacking  upon  the  other  plants. 

We  may  suspect  that  Gerard,  Parkinson  and  other  old  herbalists 
were  responsible  for*  the  plant's  name,  for  they  passed  it  down  with 
some  quaint  notes  as  to  its  virtues.  It  seems  that  they  claimed  the 
wisdom  of  Solomon,  who,  it  is  said,  wrote  a  flora  which  embraced 
all  the  plants  from  Cedars  to  Hyssop,  dealing  probably  with  the 
healing  virtues  of  the  plants.  Gerard,  of  the  sixteenth  century,  says 
of  the  Solomon's  Seal : 

"The  roots  are  excellent  good  for  to  scale  or  close  up  green 
wounds,  being  stamped  and  laid  thereon ;  wherefore  it  is  called 
Sigillum  Solomonis,  of  the  singular  vertue  that  it  hath  in  sealing  or 
healing  up  wounds,  broken  bones,  and  such  like.  The  root  of  Sol- 
omon's Scale,  stamped  while  it  is  fresh,  and  greene  and  applied, 
taketh  away  in  one  night,  or  two  at  the  most,  any  bruise,  blacke  or" 
blew  spots  gotten  by  falls  or  woman's  willfulness  in  stumbling  upon 
their  hasty  husband's  fists.  That  which  might  be  written  of  this 
herbe  as  touching  the  knitting  of  bones,  and  that  truly,  woulde 
seeme  unto  some  incredible;  but  common  experience  teacheth  that 
in  the  worlde  there  is  not  to  be  found  another  herbe  comparable 
to  it  for  the  purposes  aforesaid." 

We  do  not  know  whether  our  "False  Solomon's  Seal"  has  any 
of  the  virtues  of  the  humorous  old  herbalist's  excellent  "herbe." 
But  it  seems  wrong  to  call  our  charming  plant  "false."  For  this 
graceful  flower  in  the  spring  is  quite  beautiful  enough  to  deserve 
a  name  of  its  own.  In  the  fall  of  the  year,  perhaps,  we  may  find 
a  few  of  their  pretty  berries  which  the  birds  and  the  chipmunks  have 
not  as  yet  taken. 


98 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flower 


The  Little  Alpine  or  Small  Leopard  Lily 


'To  gild  refined  gold,  to  paint  the  lily, 
To  throw  a  perfume  on  the  violet, 
To  smooth  the  ice,  of  add  another  hue 
Unto  the  rainbow,  or  with  taper-light 
To  seek  the  beauteous  eye  of  heaven  to  garnish 
Is  icasteful  and  ridiculous  excess." 

— SHAKESPEARE. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 99 

"The  time  when  lilies  blow 
And  clouds  are  highest  in  the  air!' 

The  Little  Alpine  or  Small  Leopard  Lily  (L.  parvum) 

By  Roland  Rice 

The  little  Alpine  or  small  Leopard  Lily,  L,  parvum,  grows  in 
the  wild,  free  places  of  higher  altitudes,  in  springy  places  and  along 
the  edges  of  swamps  or  stream  banks.  It  is  far  more  fragile  appear- 
ing than  its  showy  relative,  L.  pardalinum,  the  larger  Leopard  Lily, 
buf  seems  abundantly  able  to  take  care  of  itself  and  seeks  less  shel- 
tered places  for  its  haunts.  These  plants  vary  somewhat  in  appear- 
ance in  different  localities,  but  are  frequently  found  in  profusion  at 
altitudes  ranging  from  six  or  seven  thousand  to  as  high  as  eleven 
thousand  feet;  they  grow  from  a  foot  and  a  half  to  eight  or  nine 
feet  tall,  and  bear  from  half  a  dozen  to  thirty  or  forty  small,  brilliant 
lily  bells.  The  flowers  are  usually  about  an  inch  and  a  quarter  long, 
funnel-shaped,  or  recurved  only  at  the  tips  of  the  petals.  They  are 
bright  orange-yellow  in  color,  spotted  with  purple.  The  slender, 
beautiful  plant  rocks  and  sways  with  gentle  dignity  in  the  mountain 
breezes.  During  their  blossoming  season,  these  brilliant  lilies  con- 
stitute a  real  glory  of  the  Alpine  regions. 

The  Leopard  Lily  is  always  associated  with  quiet  places  in  the 
hills ;  perhaps  beside  some  rushing  stream  where  one  rests  upon  a 
bank  for  a  moment  from  the  quest  of  trout  in  the  foaming  riffles. 

The  tall,  graceful  plant  often  exceeds  six  feet  in  height,  and  is 
crowned  with  many  blooms,  which  are  three  or  four  inches  across. 
The  sight  of  a  colony  of  several  hundred  of  these  colorful  blossoms 
towering  above  the  green  ferns  and  grass  on  the  moist  bank  of 
stream  or  spring  is  enchanting.  The  petals  are  usually  recurved 
from  the  base,  and  are  pale  orange-yellow  on  the  outside  and  a  deep 
orange  color  within,  spotted  with  maroon  and  tipped  with  scarlet. 
The  long  anthers  hanging  down  are  purplish  or  brown,  surrounding 
the  bright  green  pistil.  The  leaves,  six  or  seven  inches  long,  are 
in  whorls  on  the  long  green  stalks. 

The  Leopard  Lily  is  widely  distributed  along  the  Coast  Range 
Mountains  near  the  seas,  and  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  below 
the  three  thousand  foot  elevations.  It  grows  in  the  rich,  wet  earth 
of  shaded  places  in  the  canons.  Over  thirty  blossoms  and  buds 
have  been  counted  on  a  single  stalk,  and  often  twelve  or  more  are 
in  bloom  at  one  time.  But  six  or  seven  flowers  are  the  usual  num- 
ber. The  bulbous  roots  are  scaly  and  often  are  matted  together. 

The  Humboldt  Lily  (Lilium  humboldtii)  is  often  mistaken  for 
the  Leopard  Lily,  and  both  are  sometimes  called  Tiger  Lilies,  which 
is  wrong,  as  the  "Tiger  Lily"  is  a  native  of  China  and  is  often  cul- 
tivated in  our  gardens.  Leopard  Lily  seems  more  appropriate  for 
Lilium  pardalinum,  as  the  spots  are  so  clearly  marked  on  it.  The 
Humboldt  Lily  is  a  larger  flower,  and  has  a  more  golden  coloring 
without  the  reddish  tints.  It  grows  on  the  dry  hillsides.  Both 
flowers  bloom  in  the  summer,  usually  in  July. 


100  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Clarkia  elegans 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flower s_  ,    ,^  ,101 


Clarkia 
(Evening  Primrose  Family) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

A  piquant  and  graceful  little  flower  is  the  Clarkia,  a  friendly 
wayside  flower  of  the  spring  and  summer  months.  No  other  native 
bloom  can  claim  so  strange  a  combination  of  varying  shades  of  red, 
pink  and  purple  colors ;  in  some  instances  these  bright  hues  pre- 
dominate even  in  the  foliage  and  seed  vessels,  consequently,  as  one 
writer  humorously  expresses  it,  "suggests  a  blushing  disposition." 

Clarkia  elegans  Dougl.  is  the  most  widely  distributed  of  the 
five  or  six  varieties  to  be  found  in  California.  It  sometimes  forms 
glowing  masses  of  color  in  the  lower  foothill  regions  of  both  the 
Sierra  and  Coast  Range  Mountains,  from  Mendocino  County  south- 
ward. Its  brilliant  hues  are  almost  sure  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  passer-by.  When  the  foliage  is  red,  as  it  frequently  is,  the  effect 
is  almost  startling.  Sometimes  the  flowers  have  rather  a  ragged 
appearance  as  they  creep  nearer  the  dusty  roadsides ;  but  when 
found  in  more  favorable  surroundings,  they  have  an  individual 
beauty  and  a  quaint  sort  of  dignity  which  suits  their  name,  C.  elegans 
(Elegant  Clarkia). 

Clarkia  elegans  is  a  member  of  that  most  interesting  plant 
family  which  has  given  scientists  many  striking  examples  of  mor- 
phological differences  to  support  their  mutation  theory  of  plants. 
It  belongs  to  the  Evening  Primrose  Family,  and  in  keeping  with 
that  family's  traditions  may  be  found  growing  through  a  wide  range 
of  variations  in  size  and  appearance.  It  grows  from  a  few  inches 
to  five  or  six  feet  tall,  according  to  soil,  moisture,  exposure,  etc. 
Its  flowers  may  be  either  large  or  small  and  the  stems  smooth  or 
hairy.  These  flowers  are  easily  recognized  by  their  slender,  long- 
clawed  petals  and  their  purple,  pink  and  reddish  hues. 

The  Clarkias  were  named  in  honor  of  Captain  Clark  of  the 
famous  Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition,  which  made  the  first  explora- 
tion trip  across  the  continent  to  the  Pacific  in  1803-06.  Captain 
Clark  gathered  a  wonderful  collection  of  plants  on  this  trip,  which 
he  took  back  with  him  and  presented  to  -the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  of  Philadelphia,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  An  attractive 
little  flower,  said  to  have  been  a  great  favorite  with  this  celebrated 
explorer,  was  named  in  his  honor — Clarkia  pulchella — and  is  known 
to  the  children  of  the  Northwest  as  "Pink  Fairies."  The  scientific 
name  pulchella  is  pleasingly  descriptive  when  translated;  it  means 
"Little  Beauty."  This  particular  variety,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  not 
found  growing  in  California  except  under  cultivation.  It  grows  in 
Washington  and  Oregon  and  wanders  eastward  almost  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  Another  variety,  and  a  very  charming  one,  is  com- 
monly called  "Beautiful  Clarkia"  (C.  concinna  Greene).  In  appear- 
ance, it  is  somewhat  like  the  famous  Clarkia  pulchella,  and  is  even 
more  gay  in  color.  It  has  rose-pink  petals  and  a  reddish-pink 
calyx.  Its  alluring  "Airy  Fairy  Lillian"  type  of  beauty  shows  off 


102  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


to  the  best  advantage  along  shaded,  tree-lined  banks  and  amid  ferns 
and  brakes,  whose  companionship  it  seems  greatly  to  appreciate. 
The  little  flower  is  especially  captivating  amid  such  delicate  green- 
ery. Clarkia  concinna  Greene  is  not  abundant,  but  quite  widely  dis- 
tributed in  the  middle  altitudes  of  the  Coast  Range  Mountains. 
This  plant  is  described  by  some  botanists  as  Eucharidium  concin- 
num  Gray  (concinnum  means  beautiful),  supposed  to  be  closely 
related  to  the  Clarkia;  but  the  majority  of  the  botanists  assign  it  to 
the  genus  Clarkia. 

A  rare  variety,  somewhat  localized  in  distribution,  found  on 
the  Mt.  Diablo  Range,  and  reported  from  a  few  other  localities,  is 
Clarkia  breweri  Greene  or  E.  breweri  Gray,  for  some  botanists  con- 
sider this  species  also  entitled  to  generic  distinction  and  designate 
it  Eucharidium  breweri  Gray,  closely  related  to  the  Clarkia.  This 
variety  has  fan-shaped  petals,  the  loveliest  imaginable  pink  in  color ; 
its  filaments  and  style  are  colored  like  the  petals,  but  the  anthers  are 
brick-red  and  the  stigmas  white.  It  usually  grows  but  a  few  inches 
high  and  its  presence  is  often  indicated  by  its  sweet  fragrance  akin 
to  that  of  the  old-fashioned  honeysuckle  which  grew  in  our  grand- 
mothers' gardens.  Its  name,  "Breweri,"  was  given  in  honor  of 
William  H.  Brewer,  botanist  of  the  California  Geological  Survey. 

The  species  designated  by  botanists  as  Clarkia  rhomb  old  ea  is 
not  especially  abundant,  but  is  widely  distributed  in  the  Yosemite 
and  the  lower  foothill  regions  of  both  the  Sierra  and  Coast  Range 
Mountains.  This  plant  is  not  so  conspicuous,  but  is  delicate  in 
appearance,  with  slender,  smooth,  branching  stems,  from  one  to 
three  feet  tall ;  it  has  smooth  leaves,  mostly  alternate,  nodding  buds, 
and  a  few  pretty  little  flowers  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  across. 

Clarkias  are  frequently  found  in  cultivation  in  the  Northwest 
and  in  Californian  gardens,  as  well  as  in  European  countries,  where 
they  are  especially  popular. 


What  I  wish  to  bring  out  particularly  does  not  concern  the 
enrichment  of  botanical  and  zoological  knowledge,  greatly  important 
as  I  regard  this,  but  rather  the  enlarging  and  liberalizing  influences 
which  Nature  has  on  the  public  mind  generally. — DR.  WILLIAM  E. 
RITTER. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  103 


The  Pitcher  Sage— Wood  Balm 


104  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

The  Pitcher  Sage.     Wood  Balm 
Sphacele  calycina  (Mint  Family) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

There  is  a  quaint  little  flower  on  my  summer  hills  which  inter- 
ests me  greatly.  When  other  blooms  are  failing,  the  wild  honey- 
bees, ever  in  search  of  nectar  for  their  winter  stores,  its  fragrant 
blossoms  bid  them  halt  to  feast  a-plenty.  It  looks  something  like 
the  Monkey  flower,  but  is  purplish-white  in  color. 

Pitcher  Sage  it  is  called,  because  the  flowers  resemble  in  minia- 
ture a  white  porcelain  pitcher,  and  the 'name  Sage  is  suggested  by 
its  fragrance.  The  leaves  are  wrinkled  and  rough  like  the  Garden 
Sage.  It  certainly  looks  and  smells  like  Sage,  but  the  botanist  says 
we  are  wrong,  and  then  adds  that  this  plant  is  the  only  one  of  its 
kind  on  the  North  American  continent.  The  rest  of  this  particular 
genus  live  down  in  South  America.  It  belongs  to  the  Mint  Family, 
however,  and  is  related  to  the  Sage.  We  have  many  of  the  Mint 
tribe  in  this  State,  but  only  this  member  of  the  genus  to  which  the 
Pitcher  Sage  belongs ;  and  it  is  found  only  in  the  foothill  regions  of 
Central  and  Southern  California.  It  varies  slightly  in  appearance  in 
different  parts  of  the  State,  but  only  experts  can  detect  a  difference. 
It  grows  on  the  dry  hillsides  among  the  chaparral  in  the  late  spring 
and  summer  months,  and  is  one  of  our  most  desirable  plants,  for  it 
furnishes  the  honey  bee  with  nectar. 

The  wild  flowers  of  the  chaparral  furnish  most  of  the  honey  for 
commerce,  as  well  as  supplying  the  wild  bees  with  needful  nectar. 
The  black  and  white  sage  plants,  however,  furnish  most  of  the  sage 
honey,  which  is  so  well  known.  But  it  is  good  to  know  the  Pitcher 
Sage,  for  its  spicy  fragrance  adds  pleasure  to  the  out-of-doors,  and 
it  is  not  lacking  in  attractive  qualities. 

I  have  found  its  purplish-white  flowers  quite  late  in  summer 
on  dry  hillsides ;  it  was  a  beautiful  sight  to  see  the  wild  bees  feasting 
busily,  laying  up  their  winter  stores  and  strengthening  themselves 
for  the  lean  months.  These  flowers  at  times  seem  to  be  about  the 
only  honey-flowers  in  bloom  amid  the  chaparral,  and  we  know  that 
Mother  Nature  has  taken  this  way  of  arranging  for  her  children. 
During  the  "rush  season,"  the  bees  have  so  many  flowers  that  they 
might  easily  overlook  the  scattered  Pitcher  Sage  plants.  Later,  when 
they  are  in  need  of  replenishing  their  supplies,  particularly  if  they 
have  been  robbed,  as  they  once  were,  by  grizzly  bears,  and  now  by 
man,  who  takes  their  honey  for  commerce,  these  nectar-laden  flowers 
must  seem  to  be  a  very  "oasis  in  the  desert." 

I  have  seen  the  humming-birds  sipping  the  nectar  of  these 
flowers  also,  and  they  seemed  greatly  to  appreciate  the  sweetly  laden 
"pitchers"  so  advantageously  arranged  for  them.  Nature  is  a  kind 
and  thoughtful  mother,  spreading  delectable  wayside  feasts  for  her 
wandering  children,  where  man  sees  only  belated  blossoms  and  sun- 
scorched  hills. 

The  scientific  name  of  this  blossom  is  quite  descriptive.  Spha- 
cele is  from  the  Greek,  meaning  "sage,"  as  the  plants  have  sage-like 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


105 


foliage  and  smell',  though  its  blossoms  are  different ;  calycina  means 
"cup-like."  The  shrub  grows  from  five  to  six  or  seven  feet  high. 
The  loose  calyx  in  which  the  "pitcher"  sits  is  an  interesting  feature  of 
the  plant.  It  is  basin-shaped,  and  after  the  blooms  have  faded  they 
become  inflated  and  look  much  like  hazel  nuts  on  the  bushes;  are 
pale  green  and  purple-veined  in  color,  and  quite  conspicuous. 

Its  family  name  Mint  is  one  of  the  sweetest  of  all  plant  names. 
It  brings  to  mind  scents  of  the  woodland,  favorite  walks,  and  happy 
surprises  of  the  season — the  bird  songs,  and  all  the  pleasures  of  the 
out-of-doors.  The  Mint  family  is  a  very  large  one  and  contains 
many  of  our  most  interesting  and  valuable  plants  :  The  Tule  Mint,  the 
Peppermint,  Spearmint,  Pennyroyal,  Catnip,  Self-Heal,  the  various 
Sages,  and  Horehound,  Blue-Curls,  and  the  quaint  and  famous  little 
plant,  Yerba  Buena  (Micromeria  chamissonis),  which  grows  in  the 
woods  near  tne  coast,  from  Humboldt  County  to  Southern  Califor- 
nia. Yerba  Buena  is  Spanish  for  Good  Herb,  and  from  which  they 
made  a  tea,  which  was  used  as  a  beverage,  as  a  febrifuge,  and  as  a 
remedy  for  colic.  It  was  first  used  by  the  Indians  for  such  purposes. 
When  San  Francisco  was  a.  little  Spanish  hamlet,  it  was  known  as 
Yerba  Buena,  because  of  the  prevalence  of  this  aromatic,  creeping 
herb  in  that  locality. 

Mint  is  from  the  Greek  word  Menthe,  the  name  of  a  nymph 
fabled  to  have  been  changed  into  a  Mint.  The  woods  are  full  of 
fairy-like  beings,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  make  their  acquaintance.  I 
like  the  name  applied  to  Sphacele  calycina  by  the  mountaineers. 
They  call  it  "Wood  Balm." 


How  doth  the  little  busy  bee 
Improve  each  shining  hour, 

And  gather  honey  all  the  day 
From  every  opening  flower. 

How  skilfully  she  builds  her  cell! 

How  neat  she  spreads  the  wax! 
And  labors  hard  to  store  it  zvell 

With  the  sweet  food  she  makes. 

— ISAAC  WATTS. 


106  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Creamcups  (Platystemon  calif ornicus ) 


"For  'tis  my  faith  that  every  flower  enjoys  the  air  it  breathes." 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  107 

Creamcups 
(Platystemon  californicus) 

By  Roland  Rice 

The  Creamcups  are  a  part  of  the  trembling  tints  and  star- 
scattered  jewels  of  wild  flowerdom  on  the  green  hills  and  plains  in 
the  spring,  when,  after  the  late  winter  rains,  myriads  of  annual 
flowering  plants  spring  out  of  the  soil.  It  is  due  to  the  absence  of 
sod-forming  grasses  that  these  annual  flowers  are  able  to  take  such 
a  large  part  of  the  land  at  the  favored  season  when  they  can  best 
mature  their  seeds  before  the  drought  of  summer  overcomes  them. 

Creamcups  are  cousins  to  the  poppies  and  companions  of  the 
Baby  Blue  Eyes.  They  are  delicate  little  flowers  about  an  inch 
across,  with  hairy  stems  from  a  plant  about  six  to  fourteen  inches 
high.  The  drooping  buds  are  covered  with  dainty  bright  green  caps 
like  the  poppies,  which  are  doffed  when  it  is  time  for  them  to  bloom. 
Then  the  blossom  lifts  its  laughing  face  to  the  sun.  They  are  sun- 
loving  plants,  and  seem  to  grow  best  in  the  south-central  part  of 
the  State,  where  their  flowers  are  largest  and  at  their  best. 

Their  name,  Platystemon  californicus,  is  given  them  because  of 
the  flattened  filaments  to  the  stamens.  There  is  another  flower, 
Platystigma  californicum,  which  is  similar  in  appearance,  but  has 
flattened  stigmas  instead.  This  is  called  the  "False  Creamcup." 
Both  flowers  are  sometimes  stained  with  bright  yellow  on  the  tips 
of  their  petals  and  sometimes  at  their  base.  The  centers  are  a  deli- 
cate cream  color. 

The  Creamcups  are  among  the  beautiful  wildings  which 
changed  the  gardens  of  Europe,  \\here  there  were  but  few  annuals 
before  David  Douglas  and  those  other  intrepid  explorers  introduced 
our  California  flowers  to  the  Old  World. 

It  is  well  to  remember  that  these  pretty  flowers  were  a  part  of 
those  wondrous  fields  which  Edwin  Markham  described  years  ago 
in  his  exquisite  verse : 

"Miles  beyond  miles  of  every  sovereign  hue 
And  trembling  tint  the  looms  of  Arras  knew — 
A  flowery  pomp  as  of  the  dying  day, 
A  splendor  where  a  god  might  take  his  way." 

The  time  was  when  these  blooms  took  possession  of  whole  fields 
and  covered  the  land  for  miles.  But  they  are  passing  away  from 
their  former  haunts.  The  cultivation  of  the  fields  and  the  hand  of 
the  flower  vendor  have  driven  them  far  from  the  cities.  Now  they 
are  more  frequently  found  in  some  secluded  spot  or  a  sprinkling  of 
them  beside  the  trail  or  road. 

We  may  rejoice  if  we  see  a  few  of  these  exquisite,  fair  Cream- 
cups  beside  the  way.  It  is-  a  pleasure  to  know  them.  They  are 
quite  generally  distributed  throughout  the  State,  growing  in  sandy 
soils,  along  roadsides,  in  fields,  or  in  the  foothill  regions ;  but  they 
are  seldom  seen  above  the  three  thousand  foot  altitude  and  are 
usually  in  company  with  the  Baby  Blue  Eyes. 


108 Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Floi 


vers 


Cone  Flower  (Rudbeckia  calif ornica ) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 109 

The  Cone  Flower   (Rudbeckia  calif ornica  Gray) 
Composite  Family 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

The  Cone  Flower  (Rudbeckia  calif  ornica)  is  a  peculiarly  dis- 
tinctive member  of  the  Composite  family  of  plants,  and  is  a  type 
which  is  native  only  to  North  America. 

Its  habitats  are  the  wet  meadows  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Moun- 
tains, where  in  summer  time  its  unique  solitary  flower  head  nods 
gracefully  upon  the  long-stemmed  plant,  which  is  usually  from  two 
to  four  feet  high.  The  long,  pure  yellow  rays  droop  prettily  around 
the  purplish-brown  disk,  which  lengthens  into  a  cone,  with  age, 
until  it  frequently  becomes  from  an  inch  to  two  inches  or  more  long. 
It  is  this  cylindrical  disk  or  cone  that  won  for  these  blossoms  their 
common  name,  Cone  Flower,  although  school  children,  with  that 
pertinacity  so  often  characteristic  of  youth,  have  found  another  and 
an  amusingly  descriptive  name  for  them — that  of  "Hay  Stacks." 

There  is  an  exceedingly  odd  species  of  this  plant,  R.  occiden- 
talis  Nutt,  having  a  similar  tall  cone,  but  its  plain  solitary  disk 
stands  aloof.  The  handsome  yellow  rays  are  lacking.  This  vari- 
ety is  found  in  the  mountains  of  Northern  California  and  in  Oregon 
and  eastward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  Rudbeckias  are  named  for  two  Swedish  scientists,  Claud 
Rudbeck  and  his  son,  pioneers  in  the  science  of  botany,  who  pre- 
ceded Linnaeus,  in  the  University  of  Upsala. 

Several  species  of  Rudbeckia  have  long  been  cultivated  in  Euro- 
pean gardens,  and  some  varieties  have  a  wanderlust  which  must 
be  pleasing  to  many  people  who  have  a  fondness  for  these  quaint 
blossoms.  The  most  popular  of  these  is  the  one  known  as  "Black 
Eyed  Susan"  (Rudbeckia  hirta),  which  grows  in  tufts  with  several 
flowers  in  bloom  at  the  same  time.  They  are  yellow-rayed  and  the 
small  .disk  .becomes  conical  as  the  seeds  mature,  but  its  cone  does 
not  exceed  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  height.  There  is  no  after- 
bloom  of  pappus,  as  in  Rudbeckia  californica.  The  Black  Eyed 
Susans  are  lovers  of  hot,  sunny  fields.  This  variety  is  a  native  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  but  has  migrated  both  eastward  and  west- 
ward, with  the  commerce  of  baled  hay,  presumably.  It  is  now 
found  quite  frequently  in  this  State,  and  is  becoming  abundant  in 
the  Yosemite  Valley,  where  it  is  very  showy  during  the  months  of 
August  and  September.  There  is  more  than  a  suspicion  that  some 
person  has  purposely  introduced  these  Black  Eyed  Susans  into  our 
national  park,  along  with  other  interesting  plants,  which  do  not 
naturally  belong  in  that  district.  Although  undoubtedly  furnishing 
a  pleasant  surprise  to  many,  particularly  tourists,  to  find  the  friendly 
flower  faces  in  our  Yosemite,  it  is  sometimes  confusing  to  Western 
botanists  to  have  their  ideas  regarding  the  natural  distribution  of 
certain  species  of  plants  so  strangely  upset. 

In  the  language  of  flowers,  Rudbeckia  stands  for  Justice. 


110  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


Elephant  Heads   (Pedicularis  grocnlandica) 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 111 

Elephant  Heads,  Pediclaris  groenlandica  (Lousewort) 
Scrofulariaceae  (Figwort  Family) 

By  Roland  Rice 

The  Elephant  Heads  are  among  the  strange  and  exquisite 
posies  that  star  the  meadows  bordering  the  Alpine  heights  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  Their  warm  pink  color  and  delicate 
fragrance  first  attract  the  attention,  and  an  examination  of  the 
flower  spikes  furnish  a  delightful  surprise.  An  elephant's  large, 
flapping  ears  at  the  sides  of  the  forehead,  the  long,  slender,  curved 
trunk,  and  a  suggestion  of  tusks  are  to  be  seen  in  miniature,  in  each 
of  the  tiny  blossoms. 

The  plant  is  about  a  foot  high,  with  bronze-green,  fern-like 
foliage,  clustered  at  the  base  of  the  smooth,  purple  stems,  and  topped 
by  these  long,  densely  flowered,  pink  spikes. 

A  similar  variety,  Pedicularis  attolens  Gray,  is  also  called  Ele- 
phant Heads ;  but  the  little  beak  is  more  abrupt,  and  the  flower 
spikes  smaller,  and  densely  clothed  with  white  hairs.  Both  species 
are  frequently  found  growing  together,  although  the  latter  is  com- 
moner in  slightly  lower  altitudes.  Their  glowing  colors  are  en- 
hanced by  the  varying  hues  of  other  bright  blossoms,  which  make 
these  upland  meadows  the  fairest  of  all  natural  gardens. 

The  Elephant  Heads  range  from  the  far  northern  shores  of 
Hudson  Bay  and  across  the  continent  to  our  lofty  Sierras,  where 
it  is  but  a  few  miles  to'  orange  groves  and  flowering  plants  of  a 
warmer  clime.  There  are  but  a  few  other  species  of  Pedicularis 
listed  in  California.  P.  scniibarbata  Gray,  growing  on  dry  ridges 
and  in  the  open  woods  of  the  Sierras,  is  widely  distributed  and 
forms  pretty  rosettes  of  fern-like  foliage,  with  little  spikes  of  rather 
attractive,  yellowish  blossoms,  slightly  tinged  with  purple,  the  upper 
lip  being  hooded  but  not  continued  into  a  beak.  P.  racemota  is 
reported  from  Sierra  Valley  and  northward.  P.  densiflora,  the 
handsome  Indian  Warrior,  is  included  in  this  group  and  is  one  of 
the  best  known  and  most  popular  flowers  we  have.  It  grows  among 
low,  wooded  foothills  from  the  central  part  of  the  State  to  Oregon. 
The  Yuki  Indian  children  called  this  friendly  flower  the  "wai-mok," 
which  means  Yellows-Hammer  Flower,  and  so  called  because  these 
birds  extract  the  sweets  from  its  nectar-laden  flower  tubes.  Per- 
haps the  name  Indian  Warrior,  so  popular  with  white  children,  was 
given  because  they  saw  in  its  gay,  wine-colored  blooms  a  semblance 
of  the  flowing  feathers  of  an  Indian's  war-bonnet. 

An  extremely  interesting  variety  of  Pedicularis,  because  of  its 
rarity,  only  known  to  have  been  collected  from  a  single  locality,  near 
Pescadero,  is  P.  dudleyi  Elmer.  It  is  an  odd  little  denizen  of  the 
Santa  Cruz  Mountains,  hidden  away  in  the  depths  of  the  mighty 
Sequoia  sempervirens,  and  resembling  somewhat  the  Indian  War- 
rior, P.  densiflora,  but  is  smaller  and  fewer  flowered,  and  pinkish 
white  in  color.  It  was  named  after  the  revered  and  widely  known 
scientist,  Dr.  W.  R.  Dudley,  of  Stanford  University,  who  first  dis- 


112  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

covered  it.  It  was  first  described  to  science,  in  1906,  by  Elmer,  a 
graduate  student  of  that  university.  Its  existence  is  said  to  be 
endangered  by  the  proximity  of  its  hiding  place  to  a  popular  camping 
ground. 

The  name  Pedicularis  is  Latin  for  Lousewort.  The  genera  is 
frequently  called  Lousewort  in  science.  The  ancients,  who  be- 
stowed the  name,  believed  that  sheep  became  infected  with  Pediculis 
(tiny  lice)  by  feeding  on  these  plants.  Strange  to  say,  sheep  will 
not  eat  the  plants  because  of  their  acrid  juices.  The  flowers  of  this 
family,  many  of  them,  captivate  the  fancy  and  illustrate  the  peculiar 
habits  of  their  genus  by  curiously  imitating  the  appearance  of  ani- 
mals, and  assuming  other  unique  and  fantastic  forms  which  popular- 
ize them  with  children.  P.  ornithorhyncha,  the  quaint  little  Duck's 
Bill,  grows  in  Washington  and  Oregon,  and  the  small  blossoms  on 
its  pink  and  purple  spikes,  which  rise  from  amongst  fern-like  foliage, 
bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  a  duck's  head  and  are  ever  a  delight 
to  youngsters.  Then  there  is  the  ''Parrot's  Head"  and  the  "Walrus 
Head,"  and  such  strange  varieties,  to  be  found  in  other  sections. 

The  Figwort  Family,  to  which  the  Pedicularis  belong,  is  also 
known  as  the  Scrophulariaccae.  During  the  Middle  Ages  the  acrid 
juice  of  certain  plants  of  this  family  was  considered  a  cure  for 
scrofula;  and  one  species,  the  Wood  Betony,  is  famous  in  history, 
so  great  an  importance  did  the  ancients  attach  to  its  wonderful 
remedial  values.  A  common  saying  of  those  days  was :  "May  you 
have  more  virtues  than  Betony."  The  Romans  had  another  well- 
known  saying:  "Sell  your  coat  and  buy  Betony,"  which  is  supposed 
to  allude  to  its  great  value  as  a  cure-all.  "Antonius  Musa,  physician 
to  the  Emperor  Augustus,  claimed  that  Betony  was  an  invaluable 
cure  for  not  less  than  forty-seven  ills.  Franzins,  in  his  "History 
of  Plants,"  speaks  of  its  value  to  wild  animals  and  he  says  of  the 
stag:  "When  he  is  wounded  with  a  dart,  the  only  cure  he  hath  is 
to  eate  some  of  that  herbe  called  Betony,"  which  he  further  claimed 
would  not  only  "stanch  the  wound,"  but  "withdraw  the  dart."  The 
Alpine  Betony,  Pedicularis  cenir  anther  a,  grows  in  dry,  rocky  soil  in 
high  altitudes  in  Utah,  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  but  has  never 
been  reported  in  California.  In  appearance  it  is  characteristic  of 
the  Pedicularis  group,  having  bronze-colored,  fern-like  foliage  and 
short  spikes  of  quaint  little  flowers.  An  important  medicinal  plant 
of  the  Figwort  Family  at  the  present  time  is  the  common  Foxglove, 
Digitalis  purpurea',  it  is  a  European  plant,  but  has  escaped  from 
cultivation  in  California,  and  is  now  growing  wild  in  the  Santa  Cruz 
Mountains.  I  have  found  it  growing  near  Bull  Springs,  a  few  miles 
east  of  the  State  Redwood  Park  on  the  road  to  Saratoga.  It  has 
been  reported  from  other  localities. 

The  Figwort  Family,  or  Scrophulariaceae,  is  a  very  large  one 
and  contains  many  of  our  most  popular  plants.  The  handsome 
Pentstemons  are  included  among  the  groups,  and  are  widely  dis- 
tributed in  many  varieties ;  also  the  popular  Monkey  Flowers,  or 
Mimulus,  both  red  and  yellow  varieties,  are  scattered  about  the 
State.  Snap-dragon,  Toad-flax,  Moth-mullein,  and  the  Popcorn 
Flowers  (or  Johnny  Tuck)  and  other  posies,  bearing  similarly  odd 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 113 

or  affectionate  nicknames,  are  among  our  best  known  varieties. 
Very  popular  are  the  little  Chinese  Houses,  Collinsia  bicolor  (there 
are  fifteen  or  more  species),  quite  common  throughout  California, 
one  variety  of  which  is  called  Innocence.  The  name  Collinsia  is 
commemorative  of  Zaccheus  Collins,  a  Philadelphia  botanist  of  a 
century  past.  The  California  Bee-plant  is  afflicted  with  Scrophu- 
laria  calif  ornica  Cham,  as  a  scientific  appellation  (which  we  admit 
is  a  long  name  for  these  Pixey-like  blossoms  of  dull  green  and 
reddish  hue),  but  as  the  popular  name  would  indicate,  they  are 
famous  honey  flowers  and  well  distributed  in  California.  Masses 
of  bright  red  Indian  Paint  Brushes,  Castilleias,  are  to  be  seen  on 
hillsides  and  meadowlands  in  various  localities.  The  popular  scien- 
tific name,  Castilleia,  commemorates  a  noted  Spanish  botanist  Cas- 
tillejo.  In  form,  these  flowers  strongly  resemble  their  relative,  the 
Indian  Warrior ;  but  they  are  looked  upon  with  suspicion  by  scien- 
tists, as  developing  vampire  ways  and  being  more  or  less  parasitic 
in  nature.  The  Owl's  Clover  or  Cream  Sacs,  Orthocarpus,  which 
color  the  landscapes  in  early  spring  with  their  pretty  pink  and 
magenta  blooms,  wrere  known  to  the  Spanish  as  Escobita,  meaning 
"little  broom."  There  are  many  varieties  of  this  favorite  flower ; 
more  commonly,  they  are  pinkish-purple  in  color,  but  others  are 
almost  white ;  and  a  certain  yellowish  variety  was  known  to  Indian 
children  as  "Coyote  Tails." 

Closely  related,  and  in  the  same  group  with  the  Orthocarpus 
and  the  Pedicularis,  are  the  singular  and  interesting  Adenostegias, 
of  which  the  little  Bird's  Beak,  Adenostegia  rigida  Benth.,  is  the 
type ;  and  familiar  to  school  children,  who  doubtless  conferred  this 
name  upon  the  plant  because  of  the  odd  little  beak  or  tip  of  its 
corolla.  The  tiny,  purplish-colored  flowers,  like  birds  in  their  nests, 
are  almost  enveloped  in  the  green  calyx.  The  blossoms  would  hardly 
be  noticed  but  for  the  prevalence  of  the  little  gray-green  bushes 
throughout  our  chaparral  regions.  The  plants  prefer  dry  habitats 
and  often  mass  themselves  in  such  profusion  along  mountain  road- 
sides as  to  be  a  conspicuous  feature  of  the  landscape.  Indians  valued 
the  plant  as  an  emetic.  The  genus  is  confined  to  the  West  and  is 
characteristic  of  California  and  the  Great  Basin.  Of  the  twenty-one 
described  species,  all  but  five  are  in  California  and  nine  are  confined 
to  this  State.  Five  of  these  varieties  were  first  described  by  Mrs. 
Roxana  Ferris,  director  of  the  famous  Dudley  Herbarium,  at  Stan- 
ford University.  The  most  interesting  of  these  species  is  a  quaint, 
grayish  little  denizen  of  tule  lands,  Adenostegia  pahnata  Ferris, 
known  as  the  Ferris  Adenostegia,  which  has  been  collected  but 
rarely,  and  was  discovered  by  Mrs.  Ferris  near  College  City,  Colusa 
County.  It  somewhat  resembles  Owl's  Clover,  Orthocarpus,  but 
has  an  unusual,  grayish  color. 

One  could  go  on  indefinitely  discussing  interesting  members  of 
the  Figwort  Family.  But  not  the  least  of  these  are  the  odd,  fra- 
grant, little  rose-red  Elephant  Heads  of  our  Alpine  heights. 


114 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


The  Washington  Lily 

The. literature  of  the  ages  knew  nothing  of  the  Washington  Lily 
of  California.  Today  it  ranks  among  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
world's  lilies.  No  other  flower  has  so  many  religious  associations 
as  the  Lily.  It  stands  for  purity  and  majesty.  Almost  every  poet 
from  Homer  to  Tennyson  has  sung  its  praises;  none  more  so  than 
Julia  Ward  Howe,  in  her  "Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic." 
"In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies,  Christ  was  born  across  the  sea, 

With  the  glory  in  His  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me; 

As  He  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men  free, 
While  God  is  marching  on!' 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 115" 

The  Washington  Lily 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

Our  beautiful,  fragrant  mountain  lily,  Lilium  zvashingtoniannm,; 
must  be,  I  think,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  our  Western  lilies.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  only  pure  white  American  lily. 

In  all  this  world  there  could  hardly  be  a  sweeter,  fairer  flower. 
There  is  something  singularly  impressive  about  the  tall,  straight 
plant,  with  its  handsome  whorls  of  polished,  wavy-margined,  dark 
green  leaves  and  its  smooth,  stout,  purple  stem,  crowned  with  a  radi- 
ance of  glistening  white  blossoms.  The  whole  attitude  of  the  plant 
is  one  of  quiet  dignity  and  grace.  A  feeling  of  reverence  must  fill 
the  heart  when  one  is  permitted  to  gaze  upon  its  perfect  flowers. 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  sudden  joy  which  took  possession  of 
my  soul  when  my  first  Easter  Lilies  unfurled  their  fragrant  chalices 
of  light.  They  furnished  the  subject,  I  believe,  of  almost  my  only 
accepted  and  published  poem ;  and  the  thoughts  of  those  sweet  blos- 
soms have  remained  with  me  throughout  my  whole  life,  a  sacred  , 
and  fragrant  memory.  Since  then,  I  have  found  this  white  moun-; 
tain  lily  even  more  impressively  beautiful.  In  our  heavenly  Father's 
gardens  are  blossoms  infinitely  fairer  and  finer  than  were  ever 
planted  by  mortal  man.  Up  there  on  the  rugged  mountainside, 
towering,  head-high,  in  the  wilderness,  above  the  tangled  protective 
shrubbery  surrounding  it,  and  swinging  its  fragrant  censers  in  the 
glad  breezes,  grows  the  real  jewel  of  all  wild-flowerdom — the  fairest, 
sweetest  flower  in  all  the  wild  gardens  of  the  wide  world. 

The  Washington  Lily  is  never  found  in  the  Coast  Range.  It  is 
rather  widely  distributed,  but  not  abundant,  in  the,  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  and  has  been  discovered  as  far  south  as  the  mountains 
in  San  Diego  County,  and  through  mountainous  regions  northward 
to  the  Columbia  River.  The  plants  grow  from  three  to  eight  feet 
high  and  bear  from  a  dozen  to  thirty  or  forty  waxen,  white  blossoms 
from  three  to  four  inches  long,  set  off  by  yellow  anthers  and  a  green- 
ish pistil,  and  are  exceedingly  fragrant.  Very  beautiful  ones  are 
found  in  the  Yosemite  region  and  near  Lake  Tahoe.  They  grow  in 
chaparral  thickets  and  open  pine  woods  up  to  an  altitude  of  7,500 
feet.  Small  woodland  creatures,  such  as  chipmunks  and  squirrels 
will  eat  its  young  and  tender  stalks,  while  bears  and  Indians  have 
delighted  in  its  large  edible  bulbs.  The  Indians,  for  all  their  wild 
natures,  exercised  discretion  and  good  sense  in  gathering  the  choice 
bulbs  from  their  wild  gardens,  taking  care  to  leave  stock  for  the  next 
year's  harvest.  It  is  our  so-called  civilized  people  of  today  who  are 
carelessly  and  thoughtlessly  destroying  the  fine  wild  life  about  us. 
Reports  come  in  from  all  about  the  State  regarding  the  destruction 
and  unnecessary  waste  of  our  native  plants ;  and  I  quote  from  a  letter 
received  a  few  months  ago  from  Dr.  Douglas  R.  Campbell,  head  of 
the  Botany  Department  of  Stanford  University,  who  says :  "I  hope 
something  may  be  done  to  check  the  reckless  destruction  of  so  many 
of  our  choicest  wild  flowers,  such  as  the  Washington  Lily.  The 
difficulty  is  the  lack  of  care  in  gathering  the  flowers.  If  the  stalks 


116  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

were  cut,  so  as  to  leave  most  of  the  leaves  below  the  flower,  the 
bulbs  would  not  be  materially  damaged,  but  when  the  stalks  are  cut 
close  to  the  ground — or  still  worse,  pulled  up — the  bulb  is  either 
killed  outright  or  so  weakened  that  it  will  not  recover  for  several 
years." 

The  Washington  Lily  was  christened  "The  Lady  Washington" 
by  the  miners  of  '49,  which  goes  a  long  way  to  prove  that  the  gold 
diggers  were  not  altogether  a  bad  lot,  wholly  devoid  of  sentiment 
and  appreciation  of  the  finer  things  of  life.  Dr.  Kellogg,  who  first 
described  this  beautiful  lily  to  science,  preserved  to  posterity  the 
semblance  of  its  original  and  patriotic  American  name  by  calling  it 
Lilium  zvashingtonianum.  Of  recent  years  it  is  called  the  Wash- 
ington Lily.  The  Shasta  Lily,  which  is  more  plentiful  than  the 
Washington,  is  really  a  variety  of  L.  washingtonianuni,  but  it  has 
a  smaller  bulb.  The  Lemon  Lily,  L.  parryi,  often  called  Parry's 
Lily,  found  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  has  flowers  similar  in 
form,  but  of  a  clear  yellow  color,  dotted  with  darker  spots.  In  the 
Coast  Range  we  have  the  wonderful  Ruby  Lily,  Lilium  rub  esc  ens, 
a  truly  magnificent  plant,  with  whorls  of  rippling  green  leaves  and 
gorgeous  blossoms  of  pink  and  ruby  shades,  and  widely  famed  as  the 
most  deliciously  fragrant  flower  in  the  world.  It  is  a  strange,  elusive 
flower,  choosing  for  its  habitats  the  wildest  and  most  inaccessible 
mountain  fastnesses,  and  but  seldom  seen,  even  by  those  who  live 
in  close  proximity  to  its  hiding  places.  Out-door  people,  familiar 
with  its  fragrance,  are  ofttimes  guided  to  its  presence  by  the  spice- 
like  odor  of  its  blooms.  Henry  Van  Dyke  says  of  this  flower : 
"Searching  and  strange  in  its  sweetness, 

It  steals  like  a  perfume  enchanted 
Under  the  arch  of  the  forest,  and  all  who 

Perceive  it  are  haunted, 
Seeking,  and  seeking  forever,  till  sight  of 
The  lily  is  granted." 

In  different  localities  the  Ruby  Lily  is  called  the  Chaparral  Lily. 
It  is  also  called  the  Redwood  Lily.  Botanists  claim  that  L.  rub  esc  ens 
and  L.  zvashingtonianum  are  closely  related.  The  white  Washington 
Lily,  in  age,  frequently  assumes  a  purplish  cast.  The  Ruby  Lily 
is  a  taller  and  handsomer  plant,  with  larger  and  more  fragrant 
blossoms ;  but  no  flower  that  blooms  can  compare  with  the  chaste 
and  spiritual  charm  of  the  Washington  Lily.  It  seems  almost  to 
have  borrowed  some  ethereal  quality  from  the  gardens  of  paradise. 


The  aspect  of  Nature  is  devout. 
Like  the  figure  of  Jesus,  she  stands  with  bended 
head,  and  hands  folded  upon  the  breast. 

The  happiest  man  is  he  zvho  learns  from  Nature  the 

lesson  of  worship. 

EMERSON. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 


117 


Toyon  or  Christmas  Berry 
( Heteromeles  arbutifolia  Roemer) 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

The  beautiful  Toyon  or  Christmas  Berry  tree  is  one  of  the  most 
singularly  attractive  and  characteristic  features  of  California,  giving 
a  rich  flame  of  color  to  our  otherwise  flowerless  roadsides  at  this 
season  of  the  year.  The  cheerful  scarlet  berries,  which  contrast  so 
beautifully  with  their  evergreen  foliage,  are  frequently  called  Cali- 
fornia Holly  and  prove  almost  irresistible  to  the  crowds  of  hikers 
and  automobilists,  who  have  wellnigh  exterminated  the  bushes  in 
certain  localities.  This  important  phase  of  the  subject  is  taken  up  in 
considerable  detail  in  the  next  chapter. 

Toyon  comes  from 
the  Mexican  pronun- 
ciation of  the -Spanish 
tollon.  The  plant  is 
a  member  of  the  Rose 
Family  and  is  a  cousin 
to  the  roses,  plums, 
peaches,  apples,  cher- 
ries, almonds,  straw- 
berries, blackberries, 
of  cultivation,  and  to 
the  wild  varieties.  It 
is  related  to  the  Oso 
berry,  chokecherry, 
service  berry,  thimble 
berry,  salmon  berry, 
western  mountain  ash, 
mountain  mahogany, 
meadow  sweet,  bitter- 
brush,  nine-bark,  pur- 
ple avens,  ladies'  man- 
tle, and  the  famous 
chamisel  or  grease- 
wood.  The  Toyon 
bushes  are  practically 
confined  to  California. 
They  are  more  com- 
mon to  the  chaparral 
belt  of  the  Coast 
Ranges  and  may  be  found  from  Southern  California  to  Humboldt 
County  and  are  occasionally  met  with  in  Oregon.  They  are  also 
found  in  the  Sierras.  The  bushes  grow  from  five  to  twenty  or 
more  feet  high,  and  when  unmolested  often  become  very  shapely 
small  trees.  In  remote  districts  they  sometimes  attain  a  height  of 
twenty-five  or  more  feet.  The  largest  Toyon  tree  that  we  have  any 
record  of  is  a  magnificent  specimen,  to  the  left  of  the  palm  driveway 
at  Stanford  University.  It  is  quite  as  large  as  an  oak  tree. 


118  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

Our  shrub  was  introduced  into  England  more  than  one  hundred 
years  ago,  where  it  is  called  the  California  May-bush,  because  it 
resembles  a  species  of  hawthorn  called  "The  May"  in  England. 
The  two  plants  are  related,  belonging  to  the  same  family,  and  so  the 
English  name  is  not  so  improperly  applied  as  our  more  common 
term  of  "California  Holly."  These  plants  are  in  no  way  related  to 
the  holly  trees.  There  is  a  resemblance  between  the  berries,  but  the 
less  attractive  foliage  in  no  way  resembles  the  striking,  glossy  holly 
leaves  of  cultivation.  Vendors  of  Toyon  berries  at  Christmas-tide, 
realizing  this  deficiency,  usually  mingle  these  bright  scarlet  berries 
with  our  beautiful  wild  cherry  leaves  and  those  of  the  scrub  oak, 
which  are  exceedingly  glossy  and  handsome  in  appearance.  The 
oblong,  saw-toothed  leaves  of  the  Toyon  are  rigid  and  leathery  and 
slightly  glossy,  but  do  not  compare  with  the  brilliant  leaves  of 
certain  other  shrubs.  The  plant  was  early  called  Photinia  arbuti- 
folia  on  account  of  its  resemblance  to  the  Chinese  Photinia,  or 
Hawthorn,  which  also  has  red  berries.  The  berries  are  edible, 
although  they  have  an  acid  taste.  The  Spanish-Californians  used 
them  in  making  a  pleasant  drink,  and  in  their  season  they  formed  a 
regular  part  of  the  diet  of  Indians,  who  ate  them  both  roasted  and 
boiled,  or  dried,  and  ground  into  a  meal.  The  band-tailed  pigeon 
and  the  western  robin  are  exceedingly  fond  of  these  berries,  as  are 
also  the  shy  hermit  thrushes,  and  other  birds. 

Late  in  the  season,  according  to  locality,  from  May  until  Aug- 
ust, these  bushes  are  covered  with  abundant  panicles  of  small  white 
flowers,  not  particularly  pretty,  but  fragrant,  with  a  spicy  woodsy 
odor,  and  are  among  our  most  celebrated  of  honey  flowers.  During 
their  season  of  bloom  the  woods  are  melodious  with  the  humming 
of  bees,  busy  at  their  harvesting.  Their  late  blooms,  when  so  many 
of  the  nectar-bearing  flowers  are  gone,  are  accordingly  prized  by 
bee-keepers.  The  Toyons  grow  slowly,  which  makes  the  destruction 
of  these  bushes  all  the  more  lamentable.  They  are  handsome  in 
cultivation  and  make  attractive  hedges.  If  a  few  well-selected, 
ripened  berries  are  gathered  and  planted  in  tin  cans,  with  proper 
care,  in  a  year  or  so  they  may  be  transplanted  to  gardens,  and  very 
soon  one  would  have  plenty  of  Christmas  berries  for  home  decora- 
tion and  to  spare,  without  robbing  the  mountain  wild  birds  or  mar- 
ring the  scenic  beauty  of  our  highways  and  foothills. .  The  trees 
usually  bear  abundant  fruit.  It  is  rough  handling  which  endangers 
the  trees,  whereas  careful  pruning  or  cutting  of  modest  bunches  of 
berries  from  the  delicate  Toyons  might  not  be  injurious  to  their 
growth.  Heavy  pruning  is  sometimes  recommended  by  horticultur- 
ists, but  must  be  done  with  intelligence  and  care.  These  berries,  if 
left  on  the  trees,,  furnish  valuable  food  for  the  flocks  of  wild  birds 
that  frequent  California  mountains  in  the  winter  time  when  other 
food  is  scarce. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  119 

Urgent  Need  of  Protection  for  Toyon  Berries 

By  Bertha  M.  Rice 

California  has  her  fish  and  game  preserves,  her  State  and 
national  parks,  and  forests,  and  other  valuable  safeguards  of  the 
wild.  But  there  are  no  laws  to  protect  our  beautiful  wild  flowering 
shrubs  and  interesting  native  plants,  many  of  which  have  become 
candidates  for  extermination.  The  population  of  California  is  in- 
creasing with  such  rapidity  and  the  cultivation  of  the  land  in  vast 
areas  is  so  extensive,  that,  together  with  the  cutting  down  of  forests 
and  forest  fires,  the  irrigation  of  deserts,  and  drainage  of  marshes, 
and  the  numerous  grazing  herds,  they  have  all  but  erased  the  once 
bewilderingly  beautiful  gardens  of  wild  blooms.  The  balance  of 
nature  has  been  sadly  disturbed  by  the  rapidity  with  which  the 
progress  of  agriculture,  the  growth  of  the  cities  and  the  ''sub- 
divisions" have  changed  the  fair  landscapes  of  the  Golden  State; 
and  the  birds  and  the  bees  as  well  as  the  flowers  have  been  having 
rather  a  hard  time  of  it.  However,  it  is  not  so  much  the  inevitable 
for  which  we  grieve  as  it  is  for  the  more  thoughtless  and  wholly 
unnecessary  destruction  which  now  threatens  practical  extermination 
of  some  of  the  more  cherished  species  of  our  native  plants. 

The  highways  and  byways  of  California,  once  adorned  with 
multitudinously  tinted  and  fragrant  wild  blooming  things,  are  being 
desolated  and  marred  by  the  throngs  of  automobilists  and  out-door 
enthusiasts,  whose  appreciation  of  beauty  seems  sadly  misdirected, 
to  say  the  least. 

The  Toyon,  or  Christmas  Berry,  sometimes  called  wild  holly, 
comes  in  for  more  than  its  share  of  this  sort  of  vandalism.  It  is  no 
infrequent  sight  on  Sundays  and  holidays  to  see  hundreds  of  auto- 
mobiles and  hikers  literally  loaded  down  with  branches  from  these 
beautiful  trees.  In  their  haste  to  gather  and  be  gone,  people  fre- 
quently cut  down  the  trees  or  twist  and  hack  huge  branches  from 
their  delicate  trunks,  thus  sadly  marring  their  beauty,  if  not  per- 
manently injuring  the  growth.  From  reports  gathered  in  various 
localities,  we  learn  that  the  Toyon  trees  have  been  almost  obliterated 
in  places,  and  while  there  seems  to  be  at  present  a  plentiful  supply 
of  red  berries  in  the  more  remote  districts,  the  increased  demand 
for  them,  and  for  other  wild  shrubs,  for  holiday  decorations,  threat- 
ens in  time  even  these  vast  reserves.  Vendors  of  wild  holly  and 
greenery  are  having  shipped  to  them  daily,  and  in  immense  quan- 
tities, such  material  from  various  parts  of  the  State.  If  this  demand 
increases,  and  is  not  regulated,  it  will,  added  to  the  thoughtless  exter- 
mination carried  on  by  motorists  and  other  unthinking  people,  prac- 
tically exterminate  some  of  California's  most  attractive  features. 

The  birds  will  miss  the  berries  and  the  bees  will  miss  the 
flowers,  and  the  landscape  will  lack  its  flame  of  color  to  cheer  us, 
and  something  beautiful  will  have  gone  out  of  our  lives — something 
we  cannot  regain  unless  we  safeguard  before  too  late  these  happier 
features  of  our  wild  life. 


120  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

It  will  be  remembered  by  many  people  that  our  Wild  Flower 
Conservation  League  conducted  a  vigorous  and  justified  campaign 
last  year  for  the  better  protection  and  conservation  of  the  Christmas 
Berry  tree.  As  a  direct  result  of  these  efforts,  a  great  deal  of 
splendid  sentiment  was  aroused  and  in  several  counties  and  localities 
throughout  the  State  the  supervisors  or  local  magistrates  adopted 
measures  (and  enforced  them  also)  prohibiting  people  from  wan- 
tonly gathering,  destroying  or  injuring  trees.  In  a  number  of  in- 
stances, where  such  vandalism  was  particularly  lawless  and  unneces- 
sary, quite  severe  penalties  were  imposed ;  and,  indeed,  became  neces- 
sary, if  the  people  of  California  desire  to  retain  any  semblance  of 
the  colorful  charm  these  beautiful  trees  impart  to  our  autumn  land- 
scapes and  scenic  highways.  It  is  encouraging  to  know  that  excel- 
lent support  to  this  movement  has  been  rendered  by  leading  and 
influential  citizens  of  the  State,  including  many  distinguished  scien- 
tists and  educators,  whose  sentiments  at  this  time  are  well  worth 
quoting.  They  should  prove  invaluable  in  strengthening  the  interest 
already  created  in  this  work,  and  assist  in  crystallizing  sentiment  into 
action,  such  as  will  eventually  bring  about  protective  legislation. 


STANFORD  UNIVERSITY,  DEC.  16,  1919. 

I  am  especially  interested  in  your  efforts  to  protect  the  Tollon  or  Christ- 
mas Berry,  which  is  now  being  so  ruthlessly  slaughtered  among  the  mountains 
and  beside  our  streams.  It  is  a  noble  plant,  one  of  our  most  beautiful  native 
trees,  but  it  has  little  chance  to  show  what  it  might  be  if  the  branches  are  torn 
off  in  the  wanton  fashion  in  which  I  see  them  carried  about  every  day.  Some 
one  ought  to  be  encouraged  to  cultivate  the  Christmas  Berry  for  the  sake  of 
its  ornamental  fruits. 

Very  truly  yours, 

DAVID  STARR  JORDAN. 


SANTA  ROSA,  DEC.  16,  1919. 

Our  beautiful  wild  trees,  shrubs  and  flowers  should  be  preserved.  It  may 
not  be  evident  to  all,  yet  it  is  of  far  more  importance  than  the  preservation 
of  the  game  birds  and  almost  ranks  with  the  preservation  of  our  Yosemites 
and  Big  Trees,  for  when  once  carelessly  destroyed,  these  beautiful  wildings 
can  never  be  replaced  in  their  wild,  refreshing,  native  beauty. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  great  stretches  of  the  bay  shore  were  lighted  up 
for  months  with  the  brilliant  scarlet  of  the  Toyon  or  "Christmas  Berries" 
(Hetcromeles)  and  now  the  hillsides  of  Sonoma  County  are  being  robbed  of 
all  these.  Automobile,  trailer  and  truck  loads  of  these  and  Christmas  trees 
and  other  wild  greenery  pass  on  the  State  highway  at  this  season,  mostly  for 
commercial  purposes,  and  while  dwellers  in  the  cities  deserve  and  should  have 
a  taste  of  wild  nature,  yet  the  wholesale  destruction  of  the  most  shapely  and 
graceful  trees  will  be  sadly  lamented,  not  only  in  the  ravaged  countryside,  but 
by  city  dwellers,  also.  It  is  time  to  think  of  saving  some  of  our  most  beautiful 
trees,  shrubs  and  flowering  plants  from  extermination. 

LUTHER  BURBANK. 

KENTFIELD,  MARIN  COUNTY,  MARCH  8,  1920. 

I  am  deeply  and  personally  interested,  as  you  know,  in  the  preservation 
of  the  native  flora  of  California.  Tamalpais  is  being  denuded  of  huckleberry, 
rhododendron  and  especially  of  Christmas  berries  and  also  fern.  Our  home 
place  has  been  practically  stripped. 

We  have  long  been  trying  to  teach  decent  country  manners  to  city  people, 
but  there  is  an  idea  that  "forest  plunder"  is  justified.  Indeed,  there  appeared 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  121 

an  editorial  in  one  of  the  San  Francisco  papers  about  two  years  ago  to  this 
effect. 

I  believe  there  should  be  legislation  passed  making  it  an  offense  over  and 
above  a  trespass  to  take  any  wild  flowers,  Christmas  berries,  ferns  or  other 
decorative  vegetation  from  any  property  without  specific  permission  of  the 
owner,  and  furthermore  to  protect  all  such  things  along  county  roads  and 
State  highways.  The  laws  against  trespass  can  never  be  enforced  and  special 
legislation  is  needed  in  this  particular  the  same  as  in  game  preservation. 

The  difference  between  game  and  these  other  things  is  that  the  game 
under  the  old  English  tradition  is  the  property  of  the  State,  whereas  the 
flowers,  etcetera,  belong  to  the  owners  of  the  land.  So  in  drafting  legislation, 
this  should  be  carefully  taken  into  account.  I  shall  try  to  see  what  can  be 
done  to  prevent  such  depredation  in  the  Tamalpais  region,  especially  on  the 
grounds  of  the  Public  Water  District.  Rigid  attention  is  paid  to  preservation 
in  Muir  Woods  and  the  mountain  railway  has  usually  assisted  in  preventing 
the  carrying  out  of  such  plunder. 

The  Christmas  berry  and  fern  fiends  are  a  pestilence  on  our  home  place 
at  the  holiday  time. 

You  are  starting  a  splendid  movement  and  should  get  a  lot  of  assistance 
through  the  aid  of  the  Sierra  Club,  Tamalpais  Conservation  Club,  the  Alpine 
Club  and  other  out-door  associations. 

Yours  truly, 

WILLIAM  KENT. 


BERKELEY,  DECEMBER  3,  1919. 

I  agree  with  you  that  something  should  speedily  be  done  to  save  from 
practical  extermination,  along  our  highways  and  roadsides,  some  of  the  highly 
decorative  flowering  shrubs  and  plants  that  are  one  of  the  glories  of  Cali- 
fornia scenery.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  Christmas  Berry  or  Toyon 
(Heteromeles)  and  the  California  wild  currant.  The  number  and  omni- 
presence of  automobiles  on  all  roads  have  increased  the  ensuing  devastation 
twenty-fold  within  the  last  ten  years  and  unless  legal  measures  are  taken 
soon  the  next  generation  will  know  only  from  hearsay  the  loveliness  of  wild 
tangle-brush  roadsides  of  California  in  spring  and  autumn. 

A  good  part  of  the  destruction  is  to  be  charged  to  foreigners,  who  go 
out  with  trucks  to  strip  the  hillsides  for  purely  commercial  purposes  at  the 
holiday  season.  There  is  no  more  reason  for  allowing  this  class  of  persons 
to  enrich  itself  by  robbing  a  community  of  its  commonwealth  of  beautiful 
shrubs  and  plants,  than  in  allowing  them  to  smother  the  songs  of  thrushes 
and  meadow  larks  by  slaughtering  them  for  the  market.  We  punish  the 
latter,  as  an  act  of  injury  to  the  community,  and  plant  robbers  for  the  market 
should  be  treated  in  the  same  manner. 

It  has  long  beee  customary  in  Europe  to  gauge  the  level  of  a  country's 
culture  by  the  foresight  with  which  it  has  preserved  and  fostered  the  natural 
human  instinct  for  landscape  beauty,  and  tourists,  it  was  afterwards  found, 
speedily  and  willingly  brought  their  tributes  of  gold  to  the  fortunate  culti- 
vators of  a  beautiful  natural  environment.  We  do  not  build  Parthenons  and 
preserve  Yosemite  for  the  lining  of  our  pocketbooks,  but  because  they  min- 
ister strength,  nobility,  and  refinement  to  the  human  spirit.  Yet  no  com- 
munity should  overlook  the  fact  that  the  enhancement  of  its  landscape  beauty 
adds  potentially  to  its  material  wealth,  and  that  the  diminution  of  its  out- 
door art  assets  entails  a  corresponding  loss  in  dollars  and  cents. 

Wishing  you  all  possible  success,  I  am, 

Sincerely  yours, 

WILLIAM  FREDERIC  BADE, 

President,  Sierra  Club. 

DECEMBER  20,  1919. 

Though  the  Tamalpais  Conservation  Club  has  been  organized  primarily 
to  conserve  things  animate  and  inanimate  in  Marin  County,  California,  and 
particularly  preserve  the  scenic  beauties  and  fauna  of  Mt.  Tamalpais,  its 
spurs  and  slopes, — it  of  course  is  in  sympathy  with  the  wider  conservation 
movement. 


122  _  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers  _ 

It  occurs  to  us  that  the  ends  sought  by  the  "California  Wildflower  Con- 
servation League"  deserve  the  support  of  all,  particularly  those  individuals 
who  seek  recreation  in  the  country.  It  is  for  them  to  rally  to  the  support  of 
an  organization  such  as  that  which  you  represent,  and  endeavor  to  put  an 
end  to  the  wanton  destruction  of  wild  flowers  and  shrubs,  that  has  been  going 
on  the  past  few  months. 

Congratulating  you  for  the  work  accomplished  and  wishing  you  greater 
success,  I  am, 


R.  F.  O'ROURKE, 
President  Tamalpais  Conservation  Club. 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  CALIF.,  DEC.  20,  1919. 

I  am  very  happy  to  note  that  excellent  publicity  is  being  given  to  your 
effort  in  conserving  the  wild  flowers  of  California.  I  feel  satisfied  that  once 
it  is  realized  that  many  of  our  wild  flowers  and  shrubs  are  threatened  with 
extinction,  public  opinion  will  be  a  great  aid  in  the  enactment  of  necessary 
laws  and  regulation  and  their  enforcement.  It  is  unfortunate  that  much  of 
the  destruction  that  now  takes  place  is  committed  by  persons  of  ability  and 
means,  by  persons  one  naturally  feels  should  take  a  pride  in  being  found  in 
the  vanguard  of  the  conservation  movement,  that  means  so  much  for  Cali- 
fornia and  involves  nothing  but  the  sacrifice  of  a  bit  of  selfish  enjoyment  in 
the  interest  of  the  public  welfare.  California  is  a  wonderful  out-door  play- 
ground and  I  sincerely  hope  that  through  the  efforts  of  yourself  and  associ- 
ates the  playground  may  be  kept  ever  beautiful  and  not  stripped  of  all  its 
color.  To  this  end,  one  may  profitably  devote  both  time  and  energy  and  feel 
assured  that  the  work  is  not  in  vain. 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  C.  FANKHAUSER, 
Vice-President,  Tamalpais  Conservation  Club. 


DECEMBER  5,  1919. 

I  am  very  glad  indeed  to  know  that  your  association  is  interesting  itself 
in  the  preservation  of  the  Christmas  Berry  bush  (Heteromeles  arbutifolia). 
I  have  noticed  the  ruthless  manner  in  which  the  ordinary  person  is  inclined 
to  gather  Christmas  berries.  Large  limbs  are  frequently  torn  from  the  bush, 
which  seriously  maims  it  and  tends  to  interfere  with  its  fruiting  ability. 

The  National  Forests  are  administered  under  the  policy  that  all  of  their 
resources  can  and  should  be  conservatively  and  wisely  put  to  use.  For  ex- 
ample, we  sell  several  hundred  million  feet  of  stumpage  annually  to  the 
various  lumber  companies  throughout  the  State,  but  our  contracts  specify 
that  only  the  mature  trees  are  to  be  cut,  that  the  logging  shall  be  carefully 
conducted  so  as  not  to  injure  young  growth  or  trees  remaining,  and  that  the 
brush  and  refuse  resulting  from  cutting  shall  be  properly  disposed  of  so  as 
not  to  create  a  continuous  fire  menace.  We  feel  that  Christmas  berries  con- 
tribute largely  to  the  cheerfulness  of  homes  during  the  holiday  season,  and 
that  the  gathering  of  these  berries  should  not  be  prohibited,  but  should  be 
wisely  regulated  as  we  regulate  the  cutting  of  timber  on  our  National  Forests. 
It  is  suggested  that  if  all  owners  of  land  where  this  shrub  is  found  would 
co-operate  in  a  campaign  of  public  education,  much  good  could  be  accom- 
plished along  this  line.  The  berries  should  be  gathered  by  cutting  the  ter- 
minal branches  cleanly  with  a  knife,  taking  care,  at  the  same  time,  not  to 
mangle  the  tree  by  the  breaking  off  of  large  limbs.  We  would  be  exceedingly 
glad  to  co-operate  with  your  League  in  educating  the  public  along  this  line 
and  I  am,  today,  calling  this  matter  to  the  attention  of  our  officers  on  the 
National  Forests. 

As  you  know,  our  forests  are  generally  situated  some  distance  from  the 
large  centers  of  population  where  the  problem  is  not  as  vital  a  one  as  it  is 
near  such  centers  where  the  larger  part  of  this  collecting  of  Christmas  berries 
is  going  on. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

(Signed)     T.  D.  WOODBURY, 

Assistant  District  Forester. 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 123 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  CALIF.,  Nov.  24,  1919. 
DEAR  MRS.  RICE: 

I  certainly  hope  you  will  meet  with  complete  success  in  the  movement  to 
save  the  California  Holly. 

Sincerely  yours, 

EDGAR  T.  CUTTER, 
Superintendent  the  Associated  Press. 

DECEMBER  10,  1919. 

Yours  is  indeed  a  very  noble  work,  and  one  in  which  the  Scouts  and  we 
Scout  men  are  interested.  Certainly  something  should  be  done  to  protect  the 
Christmas  berries.  So  many  folks  when  picking  flowers  and  berries  in  the 
woods  are  not  satisfied  to  simply  pick  them,  but  very  often  tear  down,  break 
and  carelessly  destroy  the  trees  and  shrubbery,  with  no  thought  that  those 
following  might  have  desire  to  enjoy  that  which  they  so  selfishly  are  doing 
away  with. 

We  shall  be  most  happy  to  co-operate  with  you  in  endeavoring  to  do 
away  with  this  type  of  vandalism. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

CHAS.  N.  MILLER, 
Acting  National  Field  Scout  Commissioner. 


PASADENA,  CALIF.,  DEC.  10,  1919. 

.  .  .  It  seems  to  me  a  great  deal  of  the  destruction  of  the  Toyon  may 
be  traceable  to  the  hacking  and  breaking  down  of  the  plants  by  people  who 
put  the  branches  on  sale  at  holiday  times.  If  this  could  be  stopped  and  a 
campaign  of  education  through  the  schools  and  elsewhere  inaugurated  to  teach 
people  to  gather  for  their  domestic  needs  by  decent  cutting  off  with  knife  or 
scissors  as  they  do  with  flowers  in  their  own  gardens,  I  think  it  would  be  a 
good  thing.  There  is  a  certain  usefulness  in  bringing  wild  flowers  and  berry- 
bearing  branches  into  the  home,  if  it  can  be  done  with  suitable  regard  to  the 
life  of  the  wild  plant. 
With  all  good  wishes, 

Yours  faithfully, 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  SAUNDERS. 


STANFORD  UNIVERSITY,  PALO  ALTO,  CALIF.,  JAN.  29,  1920. 

Climate  and  scenery  are  two  of  California's  important  assets.  But  do 
Californians  appreciate  how  much  of  the  State's  peculiar  charm  is  due  to  her 
native  plants?  Wipe  cut  the  noble  redwoods,  the  Sierra  forests,  and  the 
beautiful  oaks  of  the  rolling  foothills  and  valleys,  and  California  would  be 
converted  into  a  bleak  waste  that  would  have  little  attraction  for  the  tourist. 
Fortunately  the  principal  forests  are  receiving  attention  and  will  be  protected,' 
but  many  of  the  most  attractive  wild  flowers  and  shrubs  are  being  ruthlessly 
destroyed.  The  Toyon  and  huckleberry  should  be  preserved,  and  I  heartily 
approve  of  your  efforts  to  accomplish  that  end. 

The  wholesale  gathering  of  native  bulbs  and  other  plants  for  commercial 
purposes  should  be  prohibited  by  law,  as  is  the  selling  of  wild  game.  Nursery- 
men, as  some  are  already  doing,  should  be  require^  to  grow  their  native  plant 
material.  By  so  doing  they  not  only  would  cease  destroying  plants  in  their 
native  haunts,  but  would  develop  through  selection  strains  adapted  to  garden 
conditions. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

L.  R.  ABRAMS. 


It  is  a  particularly  encouraging  sign  to  have  the  bird  lovers 
join  this  war  against  the  indiscriminate  and  ruthless  slaughter  of 
berry  bushes,  which  they  feel  will  materially  affect  the  bird  popula- 
tion of  the  Bay  Region.  The  following  excellent  letters  received 


124  Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 

over  a  year  ago  from  such  authorities  as  Dr.  Harold  C.  Bryant, 
economic  ornithologist  of  the  University  of  California,  and  director 
of  research  education  for  the  Fish  and  Game  Commission  of  Cali- 
fornia;  and  Dr.  Joseph  Grinnell,  director  of  the  Museum  of  Verte- 
brate Zoology  of  the  University  of  California,  and  one  of  the  most 
noted  authorities  on  bird  life  in  America ;  also  Dr.  Frederick  W. 
D'Evlyn,  president  of  the  Audubon  Association  of  the  Pacific  and 
head  of  the  National  Children's  Pets  Exhibitions  Association  of 
America,  will  be  of  value  as  authoritative  statements  from  reliable 
sources : 

BERKELEY,  Nov.  14,  1919. 

I  am  greatly  interested  in  your  timely  endeavor  to  conserve  the  flora  of 
our  State.  We  have  heard  much  of  the  conservation  of  forests,  water  power, 
and  fish  and  game,  but  practically  nothing  about  the  conservation  of  other 
of  our  natural  resources.  Certain  outstanding  resources  are  signaled  out 
for  attention  and  others  are  apparently  overlooked.  Laws  protect  our 
national  forests;  but,  as  you  have  wisely  pointed  out,  no  laws  protect  the 
Toyon  berry,  huckleberry,  or  other  shrubs,  which  are  fast  disappearing  be- 
cause of  ruthless  destruction ;  nor  has  public  sentiment  been  sufficiently 
aroused  to  take  cognizance  of  the  threatened  extermination  of  these  shrubs 
and  some  of  the  medicinal  herbs.  Surely  our  State  is  awakening  to  the  real 
values  which  pertain  to  our  natural  resources  and  which  emphasize  the  con- 
servation of  them.  Wtih  such  a  realization  should  come  the  desire  to  save 
many  areas  in  their  natural  state.  Needless  to  say,  this  would  mean  the 
careful  protection  of  every  form  of  life  within  the  area,  both  plant  and 
animal.  Only  through  this  method  can  we  expect  to  retain  the  flora  and 
fauna  intact.  Both  from  a  scientific  standpoint  and  from  a  sentimental  stand- 
point we  must  save  a  breeding  stock  of  native  plants  and  animals. 

Here  is  to  the  day  when  an  awakened  public  sentiment  will  demand  a 
conservation  of  all  natural  resources,  that  we  ourselves  and  future  generations 
also  may  be  benefited. 

Very  truly  yours, 

H.  C.  BRYANT. 


BERKELEY,  DEC.  15,  1919. 

You  have  my  warmest  sympathy  in  your  efforts  toward  securing  pro- 
tection of  native  shrubbery  against  annihilation  within  the  area  adjacent  to 
our  large  centers  of  population.  I  feel  sure  that  your  line  of  work  is  just 
what  is  needed,  namely,  the  setting  forth  of  the  facts  and  dangers;  with  a 
knowledge  of  these,  I  believe  that  popular  sentiment  will  shortly  come  to 
disapprove  so  strongly  of  the  custom  of  unchecked  despoliation  that  the 
problem  will  solve  itself.  Here,  as  with  game  conservation  and  songbird 
protection,  it  is  a  matter  of  education. 

The  question  of  berry  supply  for  the  part  of  our  bird  population  which 
depends  upon  such  food  is  an  important  one  here  in  the  Bay  Region,  where 
at  best  berry-producing  shrubs  are  not  very  plentiful.  I  am  quite  sure  that 
a  reduction  in  the  sum  total  of  birds  would  follow  upon  the  complete  eradi- 
cation of  these  plants  upon  which  the  birds  depend  at  a  time  of  the  year  when 
food  suitable  to  them  is  scarcest. 

I  think  this  is  a  perfectly  valid  reason  in  itself  for  the  strict  conserva- 
tion of  our  native  Toyon,  elderberry  and  the  like,  in  the  Bay  Region. 

Very  truly  yours, 

J.  GRINNELL. 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  DEC.  19,  1919. 

Few  incidents  in  active  service  create  a  more  profound  realism  than  the 
roll  call  after  battle.  The  silence,  the  unanswered  name.  That  blankless 
moment  that  officially  records  something  that  is  no  more,  an  entity  that  has 
now  only  the  heritage  of  a  memory.  In  our  wild  life,  and  its  struggles  for 
its  rights  to  exist,  a  roll  call  would  oftentimes  reveal  an  equally  arresting 


Popular  Studies  of  C_^forni}g  Wild  Flowers  • 125 

silence,  an  absence  indicative  of  things  that  are  no  more,  things  that  once 
were  in  full  battalion  strength.  Strange,  if  we  were  to  amplify  the  story, 
we  should  find  that  in  both  battles,  man  himself  had  been  the  most  guilty 
factor,  the  most  sinister  enemy  of  all  forces  combined. 

At  this  festive  season,  the  behavior  of  this  thoughtless  and  deadly  ver- 
tebrate in  his  "industry  and  ethics"  towards  certain  types  of  wild  life  is_so 
gruesomely  active  that  it  becomes  a  serious  menace.  The  wanton  destruction 
and  persistent  pilfering  of  the  berry-bearing  shrubs  is  so  much  in  evidence 
that  the  woods  are  in  danger  of  being  despoiled  of  their  claims  and  attrac- 
tions, while  their  rightful  dependents — the  birds — are  robbed  of  their  food 
supplies  and  vandalized  of  their  home-lots  and  shelter. 

It  is  simply  unpardonable  to  have  truck  and  autocar  loads  of  these 
berries  and  branches  stolen  from  our  suburbs  and  foothills,  season  after 
season,  until  many  sections  are  absolutely  destroyed,  or  so  seriously  injured 
that  several  years  of  closed  protection  would  be  necessary  to  restore  their 
former  productiveness. 

The  intimate  relationshp  of  these  "berry-bearers"  in  their  conservation 
of  bird  life  as  an  asset  of  urgent  welfare  to  our  agricultural  and  allied  neces- 
sities, is  too  imperatively  associated  to  be  ignored  without  manifest  penalty. 
It  is  high  time  that  intelligent  legislation  be  secured  and  utilized  in  the  con- 
servation and  proper  farming  of  these  valuable  shrubs.  The  present  reck- 
lessness is  simply  the  death  warrant  to  a  native  wild  life  that  has  State 
claims  of  beauty;  utility  and  service,  which  we  should  be  loyal  enough  to 
respect  and  intelligent  and  thrifty  enough  to  utilize. 

Respectfully  yours, 

FREDERICK  W.  D'EVLYN. 


An  impressive  editorial  on  this  subject  appeared  in  the  San 
Francisco  Bulletin  in  December,  1919,  from  which  I  have  extracted 
the  following  paragraphs : 

Her  wonderfully  bright  berries  are  the  pride  of  the  Golden  State  at  this 
time  of  the  year.  We  write  about  them  in  books,  magazine  articles,  tourist 
advertisements  and  letters  to  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  Christmas  in 
California  has  been  the  theme  of  many  beautiful  poems,  and  in  nearly  all  of 
them  you  will  find  a  glorification  of  far-famed  Toyon  berries.  But  soon, 
very  soon,  we  may  have  nothing  but  the  poems  left  to  tell  the  story  of  a 
land  once  so  beautiful  at  this  season.  The  vandal  who  rides  in  an  auto  is 
again  abroad  and  taking  not  merely  an  armful,  but  branches  and  even  whole 
trees ;  ...  to  the  artist,  a  spray  of  berries  is  more  effective  than  a 
branch,  while  a  whole  tree  is  the  very  poster  of  vandalism  and  vulgarity. 
Happily  the  Wild  Flower  Conservation  League  has  the  hope  of  securing 
suitable  legislation  at  the  next  session  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  among 
its  provisions  there  will  be  the  power  to  arrest,  fine  and  perhaps  imprison 
all  persons  guilty  of  wanton  destruction  of  the  crowning  beauty  of  our 
Christmas  season.  Certainly  something  should  be  done  to  curb  those  bar- 
barians who  destroy  trees. 

I  want  to  incorporate  in  this  book  an  excerpt  from  a  fine  edi- 
torial appearing  in  the  San  Francisco  Call,  last  season : 

Christmas  is  coming;  ...  we  have  another  reminder  in -the  bright 
red  berries  the  street  florists  sell,  and  the  great  branches  of  Madrone  and 
Toyon  berries  festooning  the  automobiles  that  come  from  the  country.  The 
sight  of  these  berries  is  pleasant.  They  symbolize  Christmas  to  all  of  us; 
.  .  .  but  lovers  of  the  country  are  pained  by  the  sight  of  these  branches 
of  berries,  particularly  of  the  Toyon.  They  see  beauty  destroyed  where  it  is 
most  charming.  Both  the  commercial  florists  and  the  wandering  motorist 
rarely  pick  these  berries  carefully  and  considering  the  future.  They  tear 
them  down  in  great  branches,  carelessly  and  ruthlessly,  and  destroy  the  tree 
— when  it  would  be  almost  as  easy  to  pick  them  unselfishly  and  insure  beautv 
for  another  year.  .  .  .  Soon  there  will  be  no  more  berries  at  all  to  remind 
us  of  Christmas.  Even  now  there  are  great  stretches  of  hills  where  once  the 
Toyon  grew  in  abundance  and  now  the  berries  cannot  be  found. 


126 Pof  r-VHd  Flowers 

"The    annual  -    s    is    un   in    Tuolumne    County,"   the 

Sonora  Democrat  says,  "but  by  reason  of  the  ruthless  methods  of  gathering 
of  previous  years  the  crop  is  small.  The  methods  largely  obtaining  here 
have  been  such  that  the  bush  has  been  almost  entirely  taken  in  the  harvest, 
and  two  or  three  years  are  required  for  it  to  again  become  productive." 

The  following"  dispatch  was  sent  to  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle 
from  Livermore,  California,  December  6th : 

That  the  Toyon,  the  famous  wild  holly  of  California,  is  doomed  to  ex- 
termination is  the  cry  sent  up  by  the  people  of  Livermore.  Vandals  in  care- 
less search  of  clusters  of  the  pretty  red  berries  are  destroying  the  trees  and 
hauling  away  their  spoils  in  automobiles  and  trucks.  That  destruction  of 
these  trees  is  general  rather  than  local  is  disclosed  by  a  statement  from  the 
head  of  the  California  Wild  Flower  Conservation  League  in  a  report  filed 
with  the  trustees. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Supervisors  in  San  Mateo  County  last 
season,  Supervisor  William  H.  Brown  of  San  Mateo  quoted  from  a 
Bulletin  editorial  and  suggested  that  something  be  done  to  protect 
the  red  berry  trees  of  San  Mateo  County,  which  were  being  torn  to 
pieces  by  autoists. 

The  owners  of  Hillsborough  estates  announce  that  the  picking 
of  red  berries  will  not  be  tolerated  unless  a  permit  from  property 
owners  has  first  been  obtained.  The  chief  of  the  Hillsborough  police 
was  instructed  to  arrest  persons  found  picking  the  berries.  For 
several  years,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Crocker  permitted  berry  picking  on  the 
Crocker  estate,  but  instead  of  breaking  or  cutting  off  the  small 
branches  containing  the  berries,  the  pickers  often  broke  a  limb  a  yard 
or  two  long.  Hence  came  the  announcement  of  no  more  berry 
picking.  Ranchers  in  the  Santa  Clara  hills  have  complained  of  tres- 
passers who  broke  off  and  carried  away  whole  bushes  upon  which 
the  berries  grew.  Trees  are  frequently  badly  damaged  or  ruined  by 
the  breaking  or  splitting  off  of  the  main  branches.  It  is  no  uncom- 
mon sight  on  Sundays  and  holidays  to  meet  a  continual  procession 
of  autoists  returning  to  the  city  with  their  machines  decorated  or 
piled  high  with  large  branches  from  these  bushes. 

A  Pleasanton,  Calif.,  dispatch  to  the  Oakland  Tribune  of  Dec. 
20,  1919,  stated : 

There  is  considerable  local  feeling  in  connection  with  the  way  red  berry 
trees  have  been  stripped  this  year  by  Bay  City  automobile  parties  and  florist 
shops.  It  is  charged  that  they  are  not  content  with  taking  what  they  can 
use,  but  must  proceed  to  destroy  the  tree.  Unless  some  precaution  is  taken 
by  the  community,  these  berry  trees  will  all  be  destroyed. 

The  Press-Democrat,  of  Santa  Rosa,  stated : 

Thousands  of  wild  holly  berry  bushes  in  Marin  County  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  San  Mateo  highway  have  been  destroyed  by  careless  seekers  of  holly 
berries  to  decorate  their  homes.  Mt.  Tamalpais  is  practically  dnuded  and 
county  authorities  are  now  arresting  all  persons  caught  picking  the  berries. 
The  wanton  destruction  is  also  working  a  hardship  on  the  birds,  that  depend 

upon  these  berries  for  food  at  this  time  of  the  year,  it  is  claimed. 

i 

The  Mill  Valley  Record  took  up  the  fight  in  earnest  and  pub- 
lished many  strong  editorials  on  the  subject.  The  following  para- 
graphs are  quoted  from  an  editorial  appearing  in  that  paper  on 
Dec.  20,  1919 : 

The  campaign  for  the  preservation  of  the  red  berry  and  other  natural 
ornamental  shrubs  is  steadily  growing  in  vigilance  and  extent.  The  man- 


Popular  Studies  of  California  Wild  Flowers 127 

ager  of  the  Marin  municipal  water  district  has  directed  the  putting  up  of 
new  signs  of  warning  on  the  trails  about  Mt.  Tamalpais.  These  signs  are 
to  be  placed  on  the  trails  on  all  sides  of  the  mountain.  .  .  .  Mill  Valley 
is  by  no  means  exempt  from  the  difficulty  of  depredators  as  yet.  It  is 
reported  that  a  dooryard  in  Blythedale  Canyon. was  entered  last  Sunday, 
and  in  the  absence  of  the  owner,  a  lusty  red  berry  bush  was  chopped  down 
with  an  ax.  .  .  .  It  is  the  opinion  generally  expressed  that  the  prevalence 
of  pleasure  seekers  in  automobiles,  flying  about  the  country,  has  given  rise 
to  the  wholesale  destruction  of  the  native  shrubs  in  all  the  Bay  Region.  The 
Sheriff  of  Contra  Costa  County  is  putting  deputy  officers  on  the  roads  for 
the  purpose  of  saving  the  shrubs  in  his  territory.  Other  such  officers  are 
being  placed  down  San  Mateo  way.  A  protest  against  this  wanton  destruc- 
tion and  pleas  for  the  protection  of  California's  shrubs  is  slowly  but  steadily, 
filtering  through  the  press.  The  "Fresno  Republican  recently  published  a 
lengthy  article  on  the  subject.  Contra  Costa  County  papers  are  taking  it 
up  as  well  as  the  San  Francisco  dailies.  .  .  .  The  leading  genius  of  the 
movement  for  the  saving  of  the  shrubs  and  native  flowers  as  well  is  con- 
stantly on  the  warpath  in  her  quiet  though  effective  way;  and  the  press 
notices  in  regard  to  her  cause  indicate  where  she  is  working.  She  predicts 
that  it  may  be  necessary  to  pass  new  State  laws  for  the  protection  of  the 
native  flora  and  that  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature  is  likely  to  see  such 
a  law  enacted.  Her  work  is  in  line  with  that  of  the  "Save  the  Redwoods 
League." 

The  following  is  quoted  from  the  Stockton  Record: 

We  are  all  deprecating  the  ruthless  destruction  of  the  Toyon  or  Cali- 
fornia holly  berry,  on  our  hills ;  but  Dr.  Jordan  has  said  something  sensible 
and  constructive  in  suggesting  that  people  should  be  encouraged  to  cultivate 
it.  If  any  one  doubts  that  it  can  be  done  successfully  in  Stockton,  he  should 
drive  past  Mr.  John  Willy's  place  at  the  corner  of  North  San  Joaquin  and 
Acacia  Streets  and  notice  one  growing  in  the  yard.  It  is  a  glorious  specimen, 
the  bunches  of  berries  really  larger  and  fuller  than  those  grown  in  a  wild 
state,  and  there  it  glows  week  after  week  instead  of  just  for  a  little  while 
at  Christmas  time.  Planting  a  "red"  berry  bush  in  the  yard  would  make  a 
hit  with  anyone  who  saw  this  noble  one  in  the  Willy  place. 

Californians  will  be  glad  to  save  not  only  their  "Mighty  Red- 
woods," celebrated  as  among  the  greatest  wonders  of  the  world,  but 
other  well-beloved  features  of  a  scenic  and  economic  value  and 
importance  to  their  Commonwealth. 


The  instances  cited  herewith  are  only  a  few  of  the  numerous 
editorial  comments  and  protests  against  the  wholesale  vandalism 
which  threatens  to  seriously  mar  and  destroy  much  of  that  wildwood 
beauty  which  is  the  natural  heritage,  and  should  be  a  lasting  joy  and 
pride,  of  Californians.  We  might  very  well  close  this  article  with 
the  pertinent  suggestions  of  Dr.  P.  B.  Kennedy  in  his  "Annotated 
List  of  California  Wild  Flowers,"  prepared  for  our  Annual  State 
Exhibit ;  of  the  Toyon  berries  he  remarks :  "A  well-known  and  beau- 
tiful shrub,  characteristic  of  California.  Let  us  be  merciful  when 
picking  it,  and  use  it,  but  not  abuse  it.  A  well-s elected  spray  will 
bring  us  as  much  cheer  as  an  automobile  load,  and  yet  leave  some  for 
future  generations." 


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